Federal authorities detained a Victorville man on Thursday, implicating him and two others in a scheme involving paying individuals on Skid Row to falsify signatures on petitions. The petitions used stolen identities of registered voters.

James Brass, aged 47, of Victorville, is accused of overseeing a team that collected signatures for petitions aimed at influencing California law. A federal indictment presented on Wednesday details these allegations. Brass, who prosecutors say was known as “Lord,” also managed a company called Pinnacle Brass LLC.

Brass is scheduled to appear in federal court in Riverside on Thursday afternoon. A deputy federal public defender, representing Brass, has not responded to requests for comment.

Two others, Courtney Price, 49, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Jateisha Herron, 33, of Boron, Calif., who allegedly worked under Brass, were also named in the indictment. Neither Price nor Herron has been detained, and efforts to contact them were unsuccessful.

All three face charges of conspiracy to commit identity fraud furthering a state felony. Additionally, Brass and Price are charged with identity fraud in the same context, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A. Conviction could result in a prison sentence of up to five years per count.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli described the case as “California Election Fraud” on social media, stating that the accused allegedly exploited people, including vulnerable individuals from Skid Row, to obscure their activities.

The charged conduct undermines the confidence voters have in our election systems, and we will vigorously investigate and charge anyone involved,

Essayli mentioned in a news release.

The indictment highlights that the state Constitution permits citizens to bypass the state legislature, enacting laws and constitutional amendments through the initiative process. To place an initiative on the ballot, proponents must collect a substantial number of signatures from registered voters.

Typically, proponents hire petition management companies to gather these signatures.

Between February and August this year, Brass, Price, and Herron allegedly accessed a database with registered California voters’ information. The indictment states Brass and Price distributed these stolen identities, instructing petition signers on Skid Row to forge signatures and personal details on petition documents.

Subsequently, prosecutors allege Brass and Herron falsely declared on petitions that they had witnessed the authentic signatures of registered voters. These fraudulent petitions were submitted to coordinators to receive compensation from a petition management company. Brass reportedly earned approximately $41,600 from coordinators associated with one company.