Victorville Man Charged in Election Fraud Scheme

Federal authorities took action on Thursday by arresting a Victorville man accused of conducting election fraud. James Brass, aged 47, is accused of overseeing a group engaged in identity theft on Skid Row. According to a federal indictment, Brass managed the gathering of signatures for ballot petitions, aiming to influence California state law.

Brass, referred to as “Lord,” allegedly ran Pinnacle Brass LLC. He is scheduled for a hearing Thursday afternoon in federal court in Riverside. Attempts to contact his deputy federal public defender for a statement were unsuccessful.

Two individuals allegedly working under Brass, Courtney Price, 49, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Jateisha Herron, 33, of Boron, California, also face charges. They remain at large and have not provided comments.

All three are accused of conspiracy to commit identity fraud tied to a state felony, with Brass and Price facing additional charges. If found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison for each count, as outlined by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli addressed the case on platform X, calling it “California Election Fraud.” He emphasized the exploitation of Skid Row’s vulnerable population to mask the fraudulent activities. “This behavior undermines voter confidence in our electoral system,” Essayli stated, pledging rigorous investigation and prosecution.

The state Constitution allows citizens to propose statutes and constitutional amendments via an initiative process. For an initiative to appear on the ballot, adequate signatures from registered voters are needed. To achieve this, initiative proponents usually engage petition management companies.

From February to August, Brass, Price, and Herron allegedly accessed a database to select registered California voters. According to the indictment, Brass and Price distributed stolen identities and compensated petition signers on Skid Row. These signers falsified signatures on initiative petitions using the personal details of registered voters.

Furthermore, Brass and Herron reportedly submitted fraudulent petitions with false declarations that they had witnessed the signatures, claiming them as genuine. They then delivered these to petition coordinators to earn payments from a petition management company. Brass allegedly garnered around $41,600 through this fraudulent scheme.