Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk over the entrepreneur’s million-dollar giveaways to those who sign his pro-Constitution petition.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” Krasner’s office said.
“Today, the Philadelphia DA filed a civil legal action under Pennsylvania law. This civil action neither precludes nor requires potential future action under Pennsylvania criminal law,” the statement continued. “The Philadelphia DA will litigate the factual allegations and legal arguments that underlie today’s filing on the record and in court.”
According to the lawsuit, obtained by NBC News, Musk and his PAC, America PAC, 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. That is a lottery.”
“And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery,” the lawsuit claims. “Under unambiguous Pennsylvania law, all lotteries in Pennsylvania must be regulated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Those entered to win in the giveaway must be a registered voter in a swing state and sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.
The lawsuit comes as the Department of Justice received a letter from “a group of attorneys and public officials, including those who have served in senior legal and law-enforcement roles under every Republican president from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump,” who requested an investigation into the PAC.
“We write to you today to request that you review payments that are being made by the Elon Musk-founded America PAC to voters in Pennsylvania and other states that experts say raise serious questions under applicable law,” the letter read.