A 62-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a voter fraud scheme in which homeless people in downtown Los Angeles were allegedly offered “money and cigarettes” in exchange for hundreds of “false and forged signatures on ballot petitions and voter registration forms,” according to city authorities.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the news on Wednesday, saying in a statement that Norman Hall was “immediately sentenced to one year in county jail, placed on formal probation for three years and must complete 100 hours of community service.”
Eight others still face charges, including the “use of false names on a petition and voter fraud,” the district attorney’s office said. Charges against the nine people were first filed in November 2019.
The alleged crimes took place during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles on Skid Row, a small neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles with a high population of people who are homeless and living in poverty.
The defendants are expected to be back in court on May 5.
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