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Prosecutors in Philadelphia have sued to stop Elon Musk and his political group America PAC from awarding $1 million to voters in swing states, accusing the billionaire of “running an illegal lottery.”
BBC reports that Lawrence Krasner, Philadelphia’s District Attorney, said in the lawsuit that “America PAC and Musk must be stopped immediately before the upcoming Presidential Election on November 5.”
The US Justice Department had warned Musk’s PAC that its $1 million giveaway might violate federal election law.
Musk, who has been aggressively campaigning for Trump, has said voters who want to be eligible for the prizes do not need to register as Republicans or vote. Musk announced in October that he would randomly award a $1m prize to people in battleground states – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina – every day until 5 November.
To be eligible to win, registered voters must release personal identifying information, such as addresses and phone numbers, and sign a pledge supporting the US Constitution.
So far, nine $ 1m prize winners have been announced.
Meanwhile, both candidates remain locked in tight races in the battleground states.
Musk’s move has been met with swift backlash from Democrats, who accuse him of attempting to buy votes. It has also drawn legal scrutiny.
According to the district attorney’s lawsuit filed on Monday, “America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens… to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1m. That is a lottery. And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery.”
The lawsuit also accuses Musk of violating consumer protection laws by deploying “deceptive, vague, or misleading statements” that could create confusion.
District Attorney Krasner has asked for an immediate injunction before the presidential election because, he says, the “scheme” was hatched to “influence voters”.
The court hearing the request for a preliminary injunction has been set for Friday morning, three days before election day.
After the lawsuit was filed, a representative for America PAC told ABC News that it was fair to “infer” the PAC plans to continue handing out the $1m cheques.
Under US law, paying people to register to vote is illegal. However, it remains unclear whether the sweepstakes violates any laws.
