The Philadelphia district attorney has filed a lawsuit to halt Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaways as part of his political organization’s efforts to boost Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner’s lawsuit is the first legal action filed against the America PAC’s sweepstakes, which offers $1 million every day until November 5 to an individual in a battleground state and a signed a petition in support of the constitution.
Krasner’s office said the lawsuit, which comes just over a week before Election Day, does not rule out possible criminal action.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is charged with protecting the public from public nuisance and unfair business practices, including illegal lotteries. The District Attorney is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” Krasner’s office said in a statement on its website.
A spokesperson for the billionaire tech mogul’s America PAC, emailed for comment on the lawsuit and asked if the cash prizes would continue, responded with a link to an X-post showing the latest $1 million winner holding an oversized check .
Krasner’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the lawsuit, including whether it will force Musk to immediately halt the giveaway or whether the dispute could be resolved before Election Day.
Reflecting the state’s importance in the election, both Harris and Trump have recently made numerous visits to Pennsylvania, including Trump’s photo op at a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia and Harris’ Sunday visit to the city, which included stops at a church and a barbershop .
Musk’s giveaway requires participants to sign a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution and calls for them to serve as spokespeople for the organization as a condition of winning.
The awards continued after election law experts raised questions that it violates federal law that prohibits paying someone to vote or register to vote. The problem, they say, is that winning the prize requires participants to be registered to vote in one of the few battleground states. Musk has viewed the money as both a prize and income for his work as the group’s spokesman.
In his statement announcing the lawsuit, Krasner characterized the $1 million prize as a “sweepstakes,” which would make it more heavily regulated than if it were a prize or job-related.
Krasner’s lawsuit, which was filed in court in Pennsylvania, does not directly apply to the other swing states whose residents are eligible for the $1 million.
Musk, who founded SpaceX and Tesla and owns X, has gone all-in on Trump this election, saying he thinks civilization is at stake if he loses. He is undertaking much of the effort to get out the vote for Trump through his super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money. He has pledged more than $70 million to the super PAC to help Trump and other Republicans win in November.
