James Brass Charged: California Ballot Petition Identity Fraud Scheme

• James Brass, 47, was arrested and charged with identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud for allegedly paying people on LA's Skid Row to sign ballot petitions using stolen identities.
• Two other individuals, Courtney Price and Jateisha Herron, were also charged as co-conspirators in the alleged scheme.
• Prosecutors claim Brass received approximately $41,600 from the operation, which involved using publicly available voter lists and instructing co-conspirators to conceal the true location of signature collection.
• The alleged actions are said to undermine voter confidence in election systems, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
• If convicted, Brass faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count, with his trial scheduled for November.

Such conduct, Essayli stated, significantly erodes the public's confidence in the nation's election systems, making this a critical case for election integrity criminal charges in the US.

Federal authorities have arrested and charged a Southern California man, James Brass, in connection with an alleged scheme to gather fraudulent signatures for California ballot measures. Brass, a 47-year-old from Victorville also known as “Lord,” faces one count of identity fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit identity fraud. Prosecutors contend that Brass orchestrated an operation where individuals were paid to sign ballot petitions using the identities of legitimate registered voters.

Brass was arraigned in a Riverside court, where he entered a plea of not guilty to both charges. He was subsequently released on a $10,000 bond. The indictment also names two other individuals, Courtney Price, 49, of Florida, and Jateisha Herron, 33, of California, who are accused of being hired by Brass to collect these fraudulent signatures. This case highlights a significant instance of alleged James Brass California ballot petition fraud, drawing attention to vulnerabilities in the signature gathering process.

The alleged scheme involved setting up a table in Los Angeles's Skid Row, a neighborhood known for its high concentration of unhoused individuals. There, people were reportedly offered money to copy personal information from registered voters onto ballot initiative petitions and then fraudulently sign them in those voters' names. According to the indictment, Brass personally received approximately $41,600 from this operation, underscoring the financial motivation behind the alleged James Brass identity fraud charges.

The 12-page indictment details how the defendants allegedly utilized publicly available lists of registered voters to compile names for their illicit activities. The core of the alleged California ballot measure signature fraud involved instructing individuals to use these stolen identities to complete petition forms. This method directly targeted the integrity of the state's ballot initiative process, which requires more than half a million signatures from registered voters within a 180-day window to qualify an initiative.

Further evidence from the indictment reveals Brass's alleged attempts to conceal the origin of the fraudulent signatures. Text messages from Brass to Herron reportedly instructed her to inform petitioner coordinators—the companies responsible for paying for collected signatures—that the signatures had been gathered in areas like Torrance or Inglewood, explicitly stating, “NEVER EVER SAY DOWN TOWN LA.” This instruction aimed to obscure the fact that the Skid Row fraudulent petition signatures were being collected in a vulnerable community, away from the scrutiny of the initiative sponsors.

California's system for qualifying initiatives is stringent; any signature that does not perfectly match a registered voter's information is discarded. Typically, organizations seeking to place a new law on the ballot will contract companies to gather signatures, often paying between $5 and $10 for each valid signature. The alleged conspiracy to commit identity fraud exploited this system, attempting to bypass legitimate collection methods through deceptive practices.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli issued a statement emphasizing the gravity of the alleged actions, noting that the defendants are accused of using stolen identities to manufacture signatures on ballot petitions that directly influence California law. He highlighted the alleged exploitation of vulnerable populations, including members of Skid Row's unhoused community, to cover their tracks. Such conduct, Essayli stated, significantly erodes the public's confidence in the nation's election systems, making this a critical case for election integrity criminal charges in the US.

If convicted, Brass and his co-defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count. Brass's trial is currently slated to commence in November. This prosecution is not an isolated incident; it echoes a similar case from May, where Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, was charged with a felony count for paying individuals to register to vote. Armstrong subsequently pleaded guilty, admitting to offering people on Skid Row $2 or $3 for their signatures and additional money for completing voter registration forms.

These cases collectively underscore the ongoing efforts in voter petition fraud enforcement to safeguard the democratic process. The alleged actions of Brass and his co-defendants represent a direct challenge to the integrity of California's ballot initiative system, demonstrating the potential for illicit activities to influence lawmaking through deceptive practices.

This case highlights the significant legal and reputational risks for political campaigns, ballot initiative sponsors, and signature gathering firms involved in ballot measure processes. Legal counsel should ensure robust compliance protocols, including stringent vendor oversight and ethical guidelines, are in place to prevent identity fraud and protect election integrity, especially when engaging third-party signature collectors or operating in vulnerable communities.

Source: Original reporting via Courthouse News Service