Politicians use actors to play the part of citizens

NBC, Los Angeles - In Camarillo, citizens aren't shy about expressing their opinions. But on a chilly Wednesday night in December, city officials say one man stood out.

For nearly three minutes, Prince Jordan Tyson is on camera telling city leaders what he later admits, is a lie.

In fact, Tyson, who is not from Camarillo, is a self described struggling actor from Beverly Hills and he now believes he was involved in a secretive new industry where actors are hired to try and sway public officials.

In this case, a construction project in Camarillo he says he was hired to criticize. "It was scripted, they told me what to say," Tyson told NBC4.

Some of those scripted lines, he says were provided by recent UCLA graduate Adam Swart, CEO of a company called Crowds on Demand, which will stage rallies and demonstrations for any almost candidate or cause.

Swart says he has employed actors to sway city officials in meetings across the country.

"I have worked with dozens of campaigns for state officials, and 2016 presidential candidates," Swart told NBC4, adding that he won't name any names.

"I can't go in to detail... if I did, nobody would hire us."

The California Political Practices Commission tells NBC4 political campaigns are required by law to report expenditures.

But, public records indicate only one committee in the entire state has ever reported paying "Crowds On Demand", that committee is Six California's, the campaign to split California in to 6 different states.

Organizers are on record for paying Swart's company $51,000 over 2 years, for signature gatherers.

State officials say some campaigns and politicians who hire "Crowds On Demand"... and fail to report campaign expenditures, could be breaking the law.

The New York Post reported in 2013 that Anthony Weiner has paid for phony supporters at campaign events, although Weiner denied that.

And last year, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump paid actors $50 to wear T-shirts and carry signs for his campaign launch. Trump denied this.

But, beyond just paying people to show up, Swart says sometimes clients want more.

"Yes, I have scripted it on some occasions," he said.