(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Federal prosecutors announced Monday that they dismantled a voter fraud scheme in California in which a woman allegedly paid individuals to register to vote and used her home address to register some of them, including homeless people in Los Angeles’s Skid Row.
The alleged fraudster, 64-year-old Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, is set to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks to one felony count of paying another person to register to vote, according to prosecutors.
She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The DOJ said Armstrong worked as a “petition circulator” and was paid by entities and individuals to collect voter signatures for initiatives like referendums and recall efforts in local elections.
The @JusticeDept announced TODAY that Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong has agreed to a plea deal, admitting she paid homeless people in Los Angeles to register to vote in Federal elections to support her paid signature gathering business. @USAttyEssayli Election integrity matters!… pic.twitter.com/0zF2RRkBJB
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) May 18, 2026
She was paid for each signature she collected, though the amount varied depending on the initiative.
According to prosecutors, Armstrong exploited Skid Row, the infamous homeless encampment in Los Angeles, to recruit individuals willing to exchange their personal information for money.
She reportedly paid the targeted individuals as low as $2 or $3.
While she was only paid for signatures, Armstrong allegedly began registering some of the homeless individuals to vote so they could sign her petitions.
The DOJ added that Armstrong provided her personal home address “on several occasions” for individuals who did not have a permanent residence.
Using her address allowed those individuals to complete voter registration requirements, prosecutors said. In California, all registered voters receive vote-by-mail ballots, though it is unclear whether Armstrong voted for the measures.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon praised the prosecution, saying: “False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved.”
“This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence,” Dhillon added.
LA woman illegally paid homeless people to register to vote — including at her own address: Fedshttps://t.co/887k8poKoM pic.twitter.com/lq0cb5DfYs
— California Post (@californiapost) May 18, 2026
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
No political affiliation was revealed.
