A California ballot petition worker has been arrested and charged with identity fraud after allegedly paying people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row to forge the signatures of registered voters. James Brass, 47, is accused of orchestrating the scheme with the help of two signature collectors, Courtney Price, 49, and Jateisha Herron, 33. In California, a proposed law or constitutional amendment can only qualify for the ballot if organizers collect a certain number of signatures by a specific deadline. Brass was reportedly hired by an unnamed petition management company, which paid him a set amount for each signature collected. However, the specific ballot measure involved in the scheme has not been disclosed. According to a grand jury indictment, Brass, Price, and Herron traveled across Southern California, including to Skid Row, a downtown Los Angeles neighborhood known for its large homeless population, to recruit participants. The trio allegedly accessed a public database to obtain personal information and names of registered voters. They then instructed individuals on Skid Row to use those voters’ identities to forge signatures on petitions. Brass allegedly tried to hide the origin of the signatures, instructing Herron to avoid mentioning downtown Los Angeles and instead reference nearby cities like Inglewood and Torrance. Brass is accused of pocketing $41,000 from the operation. He, along with Price and Herron, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit identity fraud. Brass and Herron have also been charged with an additional count of identity fraud. Brass has pleaded not guilty and is currently out of custody on a $10,000 bond. Prosecutors said in a statement that the accused allegedly used people from Skid Row’s homeless community to cover up their actions, which they claim undermines public trust in the election process. The arrests follow similar cases in California. Earlier this year, a 64-year-old woman named Brenda Armstrong pleaded guilty to paying people on Skid Row to register as voters and sign her petitions. In San Francisco, petition workers have also been reported to offer cash and food to homeless individuals in the Tenderloin neighborhood to obtain signatures. Some of these interactions were recorded and shared online, leading to a city investigation. These incidents have raised concerns about the integrity of petition processes and the exploitation of vulnerable populations.