This Monday, the Philadelphia District Attorney filed a civil lawsuit against Elon Musk for the million-dollar raffles he has been holding daily for voters. In theory, the drawings are made among the signatories of a declaration in defense of freedom of expression and the right to keep and bear firearms. However, to sign that declaration, you must be registered as a voter. The richest man in the world has been using these draws to encourage the registration of Republican voters, but the prosecutor considers it to be an illegal draw and also suggests that it is rigged.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair business practices, including illegal lotteries. The prosecutor is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of the elections,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Through his electoral organization America PAC, Musk began by offering $47 (the next president will be the 47th) to anyone who convinced a new registered voter to sign the petition. He then raised the reward to $100 and decided to pay both the signer and the person who presented it. On Saturday, October 19, at a rally in Harrisburg, he announced the million dollar drawings.
What the current lawsuit alleges is that these raffles are illegal. “America PAC and Musk are duping the citizens of Philadelphia – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming elections) – into giving up their personally identifiable information and making a political promise in exchange for the chance to win.” a million dollars. That’s a lottery. And it is indisputably an illegal lottery,” the lawsuit says. Pennsylvania law requires that all lotteries be operated and administered by the State.
Furthermore, the prosecutor shares the theory that the draws are rigged. “Although Musk claims that the selection of a winner is ‘random,’ that appears false because multiple winners who have been selected are individuals who have appeared at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania,” the lawsuit says, arguing that the sweepstakes rules are “deceptive.” Of course, there are no bases or notary to certify the winner, but the surprising thing is that in a draw in which theoretically all the signatories of the declaration from the entire State participate, the winner always turns out to be someone present at that same rally.
At the moment, the lawsuit filed is of a civil nature, but the statement from the prosecutor’s office indicates that this does not exclude the possibility of taking legal action against the magnate. The head of electoral crimes at the Department of Justice sent a warning letter to Elon Musk’s America PAC organization on Monday last week, alerting it that it was a crime to knowingly offer anything of value to vote or register to vote. The warning letter did not specify any immediate legal action, but did detail the penalties for violating US election laws, including a possible prison sentence of up to five years.
Federal law prohibits paying voters to vote or register to vote. It is considered a crime with penalties of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison. A Department of Justice manual notes that this includes “anything that has monetary value, including cash, liquor,lottery possibilities and social benefits such as food stamps.”
Elon Musk has contributed more than $120 million to support the campaign of Donald Trump and other candidates of his party.
