One felony count for L.A woman who has paid homeless to vote for 20 years

Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, May 19, 2026 Non-AI Real World News

A woman who for 20 years was involved in a scheme were she allegedly paid homeless people to register to vote or sign petitions for California voter initiatives has agreed to plead guilty in the case.

Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, also known as “Anika,” took a plea deal for one felony count of paying another person to register to vote in a federal election, prosecutors announced Monday.

The alleged scheme was revealed in a hidden camera investigation by James O’Keefe. / X

Come again?

One felony count for 20 years of alleged voter malfeasance?

Prosecutors allege Armstrong targeted Skid Row because it has a large homeless population in a relatively small area with individuals who would easily accept the $2 or $3 offer she made for them to sign a petition or register to vote.

Armstrong worked as a petition collector for various vendors and individuals known as “coordinators,” who have not been named by prosecutors. The vendors would then pay Armstrong a set amount for each registered voters’ signature.

California does allow homeless people to legally vote if they meet standard requirements, including citizenship, residency and age.

Homeless voters may register using a shelter, park, cross streets or another location where they regularly stay, even if they do not have a traditional residential address, according to the California Secretary of State.

On several occasions, Armstrong, also known as “Anika,” allegedly provided a homeless individual with her own former address in Los Angeles so they had something to write on the registration form.

Because California automatically mails ballots to registered voters, prosecutors said the registrations created the possibility that ballots could be sent to Armstrong’s address instead of to the homeless people who registered to vote.

“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon in a statement. “This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence.”

Dhillon said Armstrong “would sometimes find that the signatures would be disqualified, because the people signing these signature petitions weren’t actually registered to vote. She would then gather stacks of voter registration forms from the Los Angeles County registrar voters, and then go to Skid Row and downtown Los Angeles to have homeless people first sign a voter registration forms, and then sign the signature petitions.”

The scheme allegedly went on for more than 20 years.

And it may have continued on if not for investigative reporter James O’Keefe.

A video shot by O’Keefe and re-posted by an X account called “Real America’s Voice” shows a woman handing cash to a homeless person.

“Now because you haven’t registered, I need to register you so I can get paid too. I’m paying you guys, I need to get paid,” the woman, who appears to be “Anika,” says in the video.

O’Keefe’s video showed different individuals handing out cash to homeless at least 28 times.

In an interview with The California Post before she appeared in court on Monday, Armstrong claimed she was just “confused.”

“I didn’t think what I was doing was really bad,” Armstrong said. “I’ve never been in this predicament before in my life.”

“About the voters cards… I didn’t think it was bad to do because it never got submitted to the voter register. It never got up to the voting thing, the registry,” she continued.

“I just think it’s confused right now, I really am.”

2026 Contract With Our Readers

  ,

One felony count for L.A woman who has paid homeless to vote for 20 years added by on
View all posts by Editor Two →