(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A federal grand jury indicted a man whom authorities allege was behind a voting fraud scheme in the infamous Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
The indictment, announced Thursday by the DOJ, alleges that James Brass, 47, paid homeless individuals in Skid Row to sign ballot petitions using the stolen identities of registered California voters.
Two other individuals, Courtney Price, 49, and Jateisha Herron, 33, were also indicted.
The alleged voting scheme first came to light in March in an undercover investigation led by journalist James O’Keefe. According to the DOJ, individuals were paid roughly $3 in exchange for their signatures.
Specifically, the scheme allegedly sought to increase the chances of ballot-measure initiatives being included on the ballot.
In one of O’Keefe’s videos, an undercover female journalist is seen being asked to sign a ballot under the name “Joseph Albright.”
A man identified in the video as homeless is then seen saying he was using a different name, specifically “Teresa.”
In another portion of the video, an apparent petitioner wearing a blue hoodie and sunglasses tells another undercover reporter that he would provide him with an address to use when signing the petition.
“Your name is Robert,” the petitioner told the journalist.
California Election Fraud Update:
James Brass, 47, of Victorville, was arrested today on a federal indictment charging him with paying people on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles to sign petitions using stolen identities of registered voters to qualify initiatives on ballots in… https://t.co/TqzEtO51DK
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 10, 2026
The video was followed by a federal investigation into what prosecutors say involved the use of stolen identities to manufacture signatures on ballot petitions.
According to the DOJ, Brass, Price and Herron are each facing one count of “conspiracy to commit identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony.” Separately, Brass and Price face an additional count of “identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony.”
Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, is leading the case.
In a statement, Essayli underscored the gravity of the alleged actions, accusing the defendants of using stolen identities to “manufacture signatures on ballot petitions used to shape California law.”
Essayli added that the individuals allegedly used vulnerable members of Skid Row’s homeless population in an attempt “to cover up their tracks.”
“The charged conduct undermines the confidence voters have in our election systems, and we will vigorously investigate and charge anyone involved,” he added.
Brass made his first appearance before a federal judge on Thursday, while it isn’t immediately clear when his co-defendants will make their first court appearances.
