Philadelphia prosecutor sues Elon Musk’s group to stop $1 million lottery for voters

The complaint, filed by the attorney general in the District Court of Philadelphia, called it an “illegal lottery” that encouraged Pennsylvanians to share personal information.

Reuters

October 29, 2024, 12:55 p.m

Last updated: October 29, 2024, 12:59 p.m

Tesla X CEO and owner Elon Musk speaks during a rally for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, New York, U.S., October 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria.

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The Philadelphia district attorney’s office filed a lawsuit Monday to block a political action committee controlled by billionaire Elon Musk from giving $1 million to registered U.S. voters in battleground states ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The complaint, filed by the attorney general in the District Court of Philadelphia, called it an “illegal lottery” that encouraged Pennsylvanians to share personal information.

Lawrence Krasner, the attorney general of Pennsylvania’s largest city, a Democratic stronghold, said the giveaways violated state consumer protection laws.

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“If not implemented, their lottery scheme will cause irreparable harm to Philadelphians — and other Pennsylvanians — and tarnish the citizens’ right to free and fair elections,” the complaint states.

In response to a request for comment, a representative for America PAC sent a link to the group’s most recent post on X, which was published after news of the lawsuit.

The post identified a Michigan resident as the winner of the $1 million prize and said additional prizes would be awarded daily until the election.

Pennsylvania is one of seven battleground states to decide the presidential election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat. Whichever candidate wins, the state will receive 19 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

The Justice Department sent a letter to America PAC warning that the billionaire Tesla CEO’s gifts to registered voters who signed his free speech and gun rights petition could violate federal law, CNN reported last week.

Legal experts consulted by Reuters last week were divided on whether the giveaway violated federal laws that make it a crime to pay or offer to pay a person to register to vote.

Trump’s campaign relies heavily on outside groups to canvass voters, meaning the super PAC founded by Musk — the world’s richest man — will play an extremely important role in what is expected to be an incredibly thin election.