Puyallup-area man charged in theft of signatures against millionaire’s tax
Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against the man accused of stealing signatures from a woman outside a Safeway who was gathering endorsements for a petition to challenge the so-called millionaire’s tax.
Benjamin Lee Brown, 54, is charged with violating the state’s law regarding corrupt practices in initiative and referendum petitions, fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft. The offenses are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors said Brown waived his right to appear for arraignment July 23. His attorney, James White, told The News Tribune in an email Monday that posts on social media had created safety concerns for his client’s family.
“The allegations have not been tested in court, and Mr. Brown is presumed innocent,” White said. “The social media publicity has already created serious safety concerns for Mr. Brown’s family. This includes publication of his home address and suspicious activity outside his residence. We ask the media and public respect his family’s privacy and safety, and allow the court to deliver the appropriate justice.”
Charging documents allege that on June 9, Brown approached a woman gathering signatures outside the Safeway at 11501 Canyon Road East, asked to see her petition on a clipboard and then refused to give it back. The petitioner later told a Sheriff’s Office deputy that Brown walked into the store and asked an employee if he wanted it.
A police report included in charging documents referred to a video of the encounter that was uploaded to the Facebook page Tacompton Files. It shows the signature gatherer filming Brown inside the store and telling him to give the clipboard back. After he spoke to the employee, Brown appeared to hit the woman’s phone as it was in her hand.
The woman reported that she followed Brown to his pickup in the parking lot, where she continued to tell him to give back the papers. Eventually Brown drove off.
Deputy Carly Cappetto, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, told The News Tribune on Monday that the signatures have not been found. Cappetto said Brown had thrown the signatures out his window. He told deputies where he threw them out, according to Cappetto, but deputies were unable to locate them.
Deputies arrested Brown on June 10, and he was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree robbery. It’s unclear when he was released. Prosecutors filed charges July 8.
The controversial law imposes a 9.9% levy on household income of more than $1 million starting in 2028. It affects 0.5% of households, according to The Olympian, and state officials expect it to raise at least $3 billion in tax revenue each year.
