FBI Agents Hit Skid Row in Explosive Voter Fraud Investigation Amid Allegations Homeless Bribed to Forge Signatures
FBI agents have descended on Skid Row amid allegations the homeless had been paid to vote.
June 19 2026, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
FBI agents have descended on Skid Row amid allegations the homeless had been paid to vote in the June 2 primary.
RadarOnline.com can reveal 20 officials swooped in on the notoriously blighted area in downtown L.A. after homeless people staying there claimed they’d been bribed with cash to sign multiple registration forms, forge signatures, and fill out voter information for the mayoral and gubernatorial primaries.
'If You Mess With Our Elections We Will Find You'
Kash Patel showed his approval with a defiant message on X.
Plainclothes agents were seen questioning Skid Row residents, asking them if they were paid to vote or were aware of others who were approached with the offer.
The Department of Justice would only confirm that federal agents were investigating a "criminal matter," as officers conducted up to 50 interviews.
It marked a major escalation in the feds’ probe of voting in Los Angeles, with FBI Director Kash Patel applauding the action.
"Securing our elections is of the upmost priority for this FBI!" he wrote on X. "If you mess with our elections we will find you."
'We Are Cleaning Up L.A. Whether You Like It Or Not'
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt also supported probe.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spoke out about the FBI’s investigation into voter fraud on Skid Row — highlighting a key detail from federal agents’ visit to the notoriously rundown area.
Pratt posted a photo showing agents speaking to a group of people on Skid Row Thursday in front of pair of "Moms for Pratt" posters pasted on a formerly graffiti-covered wall.
"FBI agents hitting Skid Row today. What do you notice in the background?" he posted on X late Thursday night, hours after federal investigators conducted about 50 interviews in the area.
"We are cleaning up L.A. whether you like it or not."
Allowing Noncitizens To Vote
The Skid Row probe comes after vote regarding allowing noncitizens to take part in ballot.
The timing of the probe came one day after the Los Angeles City Council voted in a charter amendment with the goal of allowing noncitizens to vote in citywide and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elections.
Supporters, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), argue the change addresses "taxation without representation."
CHIRLA head Angelica Salas said green card holders, DACA recipients, and other noncitizens pay taxes, send children to public schools, and live under the same local policies, so they deserve input on who represents them.
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One Skid Row resident claimed he received $4 to vote for Karen Bass.
As the California Globe documented, this latest push builds directly on Los Angeles' commitment to sanctuary policies that shield illegal alien residents and thwart federal law.
"The FBI probe followed the emergence of shocking videos the week after Election Day of Skid Row residents claiming they were paid to vote for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman,” the report said.
Raman’s surge into second place, after initially trailing well behind change-agent candidate Pratt, came after an extraordinary tally in mail-in ballots.
In one of the clips documenting the probe, a man on Skid Row claimed he received "$4 to vote for Bass."
