On Monday, October 28th, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit attempting to block billionaire Elon Musk’s Super PAC from awarding $1 million prizes to registered voters in swing states each day.
The lawsuit was filed by District Attorney and Democrat Larry Krasner, accusing Musk and his “America PAC” of engaging in what he claims to be “conducting an illegal lottery” in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania to influence the voter turnout in the 2024 presidential election.
Musk pledged at a rally on October 19th to give away $1 million daily to randomly selected battleground state registered voters if they signed America PAC’s petition supporting “freedom of speech and the right to bear arms”. This initiative is set to continue until election day, aiming to support former president and Republican candidate Trump.
Before Krasner brought this civil lawsuit, the US Department of Justice had sent a letter last Wednesday, October 23rd, warning Musk’s America PAC that their daily giveaway activities may violate federal election laws.
Despite the warning, America PAC announced the winner of that day’s grand prize on the following day, October 24th, which was a voter named Jason Cochran from Holland, Michigan. A photo of Cochran holding a giant check was posted on the X platform.
Krasner argued in the lawsuit that under Pennsylvania’s lottery and consumer protection laws, “all lotteries must be operated and managed by the state government”. Additionally, he accused America PAC’s random drawing as being “seemingly false”.
In a statement on Monday, Krasner stated, “This civil lawsuit neither precludes nor necessitates potential actions under Pennsylvania criminal law in the future. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will document and argue the factual allegations and legal points in this lawsuit in court.”
Despite the scrutiny from various parties, including the US Department of Justice, the committee continues to distribute million-dollar prizes to voters. Currently, they have sent out checks to voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.
According to the Associated Press, Krasner’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the lawsuit, including whether Musk would be forced to cease the giveaways immediately or if the dispute could be resolved before election day. A spokesperson for America PAC responded to interview requests with a link to the latest pinned post on the committee’s official X platform account.
On its official X platform account, America PAC posted a photo of the latest winner who became a millionaire, a voter named Jordan from Michigan. The caption said, “Every day until election day, a signer will be chosen to become a spokesperson for America PAC, earning $1 million.”