Spencer Pratt shares photo of FBI crackdown on Skid Row 'voter fraud': 'What do you notice in the background?'

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:37, 20 June 2026 | Updated: 06:37, 20 June 2026 Failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has broken his silence after the FBI launched a probe into alleged voter fraud following his election loss. Pratt, 42, shared a photo online of FBI agents talking to a group of people on LA's notorious Skid Row on Thursday in front of 'Moms for Pratt' posters plastered over a wall of graffiti.  'FBI agents hitting Skid Row today. What do you notice in the background?' Pratt wrote on X. 'We are cleaning up LA whether you like it or not.' Officials descended on the city's notorious downtown area to investigate allegations of voter fraud after videos began circulating showing people who claimed they were paid to vote in the June 2 election.  The California Post spoke to locals who alleged they were given $4 to vote for Pratt's Democratic rivals, incumbent Karen Bass and progressive Nithya Raman. The outlet also reported that a homeless drop-in shelter that received a $600,000 taxpayer-funded donation from Raman in 2023 had 185 registered voters, despite not offering any accommodation. The FBI's investigation was applauded by Director Kash Patel, who wrote on X: 'Securing our elections is of the upmost priority for this FBI! If you mess with our elections we will find you!'  US Attorney Bill Essayli, who is spearheading the federal agency's investigation, told the outlet: 'California has effectively decriminalized election fraud by removing basic fraud detection that are common in other states.' Spencer Pratt has broken his silence after the FBI launched a probe into alleged voter fraud following his election loss  Pratt was running to unseat incumbent Democratic mayor Karen Bass before he crashed out of the race   'Dirty voter rolls, with no voter ID and unregulated ballot harvesting is a open invitation for bad actors to commit fraud,' he continued.  'If California wants to restore public trust, we invite them to comply with federal law and allow us to audit its voter rolls. What are they afraid of?' According to the California Secretary of State, all eligible voters have the right to vote and anyone experiencing homelessness is also able to register as long as they have a location where they receive mail and are assigned a voting precinct.  'If you are unable to use an address when you register to vote, you must describe the location where you live so it is clear enough for your county elections official to find your voting precinct. You may use cross streets or a park as your address. This ensures that you can receive accurate elections materials based on where you live,' the secretary of state previously said.  The investigation comes after a Marina del Rey resident, Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, agreed to a guilty plea of paying people experiencing homelessness to register to vote under fake addresses.  Armstrong had reportedly worked as a petition circulator for around 20 years, collecting voter signatures on petitions that would then qualify initiatives for California ballot measures.  The job, which paid her for every signature from a registered voter that she procured, would allegedly see Armstrong frequent Skid Row to exchange signatures for money.  'She did this in exchange for cash and other items of value,' including cigarettes and prepaid cellphone gift cards,' prosecutors said. Raman, seen above, leapt ahead of Pratt in the June 2 primary and is set to go head-to-head with Bass in the mayoral race Pratt was dressed casually with chunky sunglasses as he left Delgado's Mexican restaurant with his wife Heidi Montag on June 11 Officials descended on the city's notorious downtown area to investigate allegations of voter fraud after videos began circulating showing people who claimed they were paid to vote in the June 2 election The cash payments were often as little as $2 or $3, according to officials. Pratt, who once appeared on the reality television show The Hills, shook up the race, turning it into a vengeance campaign against Bass after losing his $3 million home in last year's Palisades fire. He got a boost from user-created AI videos and his own team's creative ads, in which the MTV veteran pledged to be a change agent to tackle the city's massive homeless problem. Over the course of his campaign, Pratt drummed up plenty of celebrity support including from Frasier's Kelsey Grammer and actor Dennis Quaid. Pratt, speaking on his mayoral loss, said he is 'moving on to the next more interesting phase. 'Listen, I spent a lot of time slaying everybody. I've ridiculed everyone on the roster,' he said of his campaign's accomplishments in a video posted to Instagram. 'I know a lot of dimwit jerks thought I was in this for a grift, that I was gonna roll up and leave town if I didn't get into City Hall,' Pratt continued. 'Hey morons, I didn't get in this for political power. I got into [it to] expose the corrupt machine and nothing has changed.' He then declared that it was 'zero hour' and a 'war' was coming ahead of the election. The Daily Mail reached out to Mayor Bass, Raman, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, the FBI and Pratt for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. 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