Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Sues Elon Musk and America Pac Over $1M Voter Donation | US elections 2024

The Philadelphia district attorney's office has filed a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk's political action committee from giving $1 million to registered voters in swing states.

District Attorney Larry Krasner's lawsuit accuses the tech billionaire and his group America Pac of trying to influence voters in the US presidential election in the hope of winning a cash prize.

“America PAC and Elon Musk operate an illegal lottery in Philadelphia (as well as throughout Pennsylvania),” the lawsuit states.

Pennsylvania is one of the most important swing states in which the presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be decided. The election is on a knife edge in the national polls as well as in the key battleground states – of which some experts consider Pennsylvania to be the most important.

Krasner's lawsuit, which names both Musk and America Pac as defendants, comes days after the U.S. Justice Department warned that the $1 million daily sweepstakes could violate federal election law.

Musk has been extremely vocal in his support for a possible second Trump presidency.

The lawsuit says that at a campaign event on Oct. 19, Musk announced that a registered voter who provided their personal identification information and signed a petition pledging “support for the Constitution” would be randomly selected for a prize of 1 million US dollars could be selected.

“This is a lottery,” the lawsuit says. “And it is undeniably an illegal lottery.”

The lawsuit also notes that Pennsylvania law requires all lotteries in that state to be regulated by the state.

Despite the Justice Department's warning, the Super Pac has continued with its $1 million gifts. Nine checks have now been distributed to voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.

“The Philadelphia District Attorney is accused of protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner said in a statement Monday.

“The prosecutor’s office is also tasked with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” he said.