California petition worker arrested for allegedly paying Skid Row residents to forge signatures

Prosecutors say scheme drew registered voter names from public database

James Brass, 47, has been arrested and charged with identity fraud for allegedly paying people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row to forge the signatures of registered voters on California ballot petitions, according to a grand jury indictment filed in a California district court.

Prosecutors said Brass orchestrated the scheme with two signature collectors — Courtney Price, 49, and Jateisha Herron, 33 — who have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit identity fraud. Brass and Herron face an additional count of identity fraud.

Brass was contracted by an unidentified petition management company, which set a price for each signature gathered, according to the indictment. The nature of the ballot measure remains unclear. Under California law, a proposed statute or constitutional amendment can qualify for inclusion on a ballot only if proponents gather a specified number of signatures by a deadline.

According to prosecutors, the trio traveled across Southern California, including to Skid Row — a downtown Los Angeles area inhabited by a large homeless community — to recruit participants. They would search a public database for the personal information and names of state voters, then instruct individuals on Skid Row to use those voters’ identities in fraudulent petition signatures.

Brass allegedly sought to conceal the geographic source of the signatures, instructing Herron to “never ever say” downtown Los Angeles and instead reference Inglewood and Torrance, the indictment says.

The indictment alleges Brass pocketed a total of $41,000 from the operation. Brass has reportedly pleaded not guilty and is out of custody on a $10,000 bond.

“They allegedly used people, including members of Skid Row’s vulnerable homeless population, to try to cover up their tracks,” prosecutor Bill Essayli said in a statement. “The charged conduct undermines the confidence voters have in our election systems and we will vigorously investigate and charge anyone involved.”

The arrests come months after Brenda Armstrong, 64, pleaded guilty to paying individuals on Skid Row to register as voters and sign her petitions.

Separately, in San Francisco, petition canvassers reportedly incentivized homeless people in the Tenderloin neighborhood earlier this year to provide signatures by offering cash and food. Some of the alleged exchanges were captured in viral social media videos and have sparked a city investigation.