The Philadelphia District Attorney filed the first legal challenge to Elon Musk and his America PAC’s $1 million cash giveaways, calling the scheme an illegal lottery.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is a Democrat and self-described progressive prosecutor.
Filed this morning in the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, the suit seeks to stop Musk and the PAC from making any further payments to registered voters in the state before November 5th.
- The suit notes that at an Oct. 19 campaign rally, Musk announced that if a registered voter turned over personal identifying information — address, cell phone and email address — and signed a petition pledging support for the Constitution, they would be eligible to be selected randomly for a $1 million prize.
- “In other words, America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) – to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million,” the suit says.
- “That is a lottery,” the suit says. “And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery.”
- The suit says that under Pennsylvania law, all lotteries in that state must be regulated by the state.
Given the short time frame between today’s filing and election day, the case will likely be heard on an expedited basis to ensure that it can be adjudicated by election day.
