Los Angeles woman sentenced for paying Skid Row residents to register to vote

Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, of Marina del Rey, has been sentenced to 18 months of probation and 120 hours of community service for a long-running scheme involving illegal voter registration. Armstrong pleaded guilty to one federal count of paying individuals to register to vote.

According to court documents and plea agreements, Armstrong worked as a petition circulator for nearly 20 years. She targeted the Skid Row area in downtown Los Angeles, paying homeless individuals between $2 and $3 to register to vote. Prosecutors noted that Skid Row was targeted due to its high concentration of people in a small area who were often willing to sign petitions in exchange for small amounts of cash.

In addition to the payments, Armstrong admitted to allowing homeless individuals to use her own address for voter registration so that mail-in ballots could be sent to her home. While she faced up to five years in prison, she received a lighter sentence, likely due to her cooperation with prosecutors. The Justice Department stated that such actions undermine faith in the election process.