The Philadelphia district attorney is suing Elon Musk and America PAC over a multi-million dollar petition

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is suing Elon Musk and his super PAC to block their multi-million dollar giveaway to registered voters to stop the lottery-like ploy that election experts and the Justice Department have warned could violate federal law.

Krasner is seeking an injunction: In a motion filed Monday, he argued that the effort was an illegal, unregulated lottery, while sidestepping the question of whether it violated laws against buying votes.

“America PAC and Musk are luring citizens of Philadelphia – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) – to give up their personal identification information and make a political pledge in exchange for a chance to win a million dollars. This is a lottery,” the lawsuit says. “And it is undeniably an illegal lottery. Under Pennsylvania’s clear law, all lotteries in Pennsylvania must be regulated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

This month, Musk's America PAC began giving away $1 million a day to a registered voter who signs a petition pledging support for the First and Second Amendments, and $100 to voters in Pennsylvania, who sign the petition. Musk announced the giveaways while openly and regularly campaigning for former President Donald Trump.

It's illegal under federal law to pay someone to vote, but Musk insists he doesn't pay people to register. Musk and America PAC have said their cash gifts are intended to encourage petition signatures. Still, his contest is open only to those in key states and favors Pennsylvania voters by awarding them all $100. The Justice Department sent its PAC a warning letter last week, but Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the world's richest person, continued to defend the company.

“To be clear, this is not a petition to vote or register for anyone. It is truly a petition in support of the Constitution of the United States and in particular freedom of speech and the right to bear arms,” he said during an online town hall event on his social media platform X on Friday.

An attorney representing America PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.