LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Victorville resident James Brass, 47, who also goes by “lord,” was charged with conspiracy to commit identity fraud after he allegedly coordinated a team of signature collectors, who using Los Angeles’ homeless population in Skid Row, forged signatures to help get propositions on the ballot.<\/p>\n
“They’re preying on the homeless population there. Obviously, you have a very vulnerable group there and they’re willing to do anything for a few bucks and so he’s using them to commit fraud. And he’s preying on them. He knows it’s hard for investigators to go into Skid Row and to conduct these interviews,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.<\/p>\n
Two of Brass’ employees, 49-year-old Courtney Price of Jacksonville, Florida and 33-year-old Jateisha Herron of Boron, California, were also charged.<\/p>\n
“Mr. Brass and his co-conspirators they had access to registered voters information on an application, and they were able to bring up those voters’ names and then they were paying homeless people to sign in those voters names,” said Essayli. “The reason that’s important is because he only got paid if he collected a signature from a valid registered voter.”<\/p>\n
According to the indictment, Brass received over $41,000 dollars from one petition management company. But when Eyewitness News asked Essayli who hired and paid Brass he was unable to share.<\/p>\n
“We know who did, but we’re not releasing that information right now. This is an ongoing investigation. At this time, we’re charging Mr. Brass and his co-conspirators. If and when we develop evidence that other people had knowledge of this or were involved, we will charge them as well,” said Essayli.<\/p>\n
Essayli told ABC7 that Brass and his team gathered signatures for roughly a dozen petitions and some of them did make it on the ballot, but did not disclose which ones.<\/p>\n
Since signatures have to be from registered voters, Essayli believes Brass either didn’t think the homeless he was paying to sign were registered or he didn’t know, which is why they signed using other people’s names.<\/p>\n
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