Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Musk PAC Tells Philadelphia Judge the $1 Million Sweepstakes Winners Are Not Chosen by Chance
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 months ago on
November 4, 2024

Musk's PAC faces legal scrutiny as lawyer reveals $1 million sweepstakes winners are chosen as paid spokespeople, not by chance. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

PHILADELPHIA — A lawyer for Elon Musk’s political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that so-called “winners” of his $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in swing states are not chosen by chance but are instead chosen to be paid “spokespeople” for the group.

GOP lawyer Chris Gober also said that the recipients Monday and Tuesday will come from Arizona and Michigan, respectively, and therefore will not affect the Pennsylvania election. He said the recipients are chosen based on their personal stories and sign a contract with the political organization, America PAC.

“The $1 million recipients are not chosen by chance,” Gober said Monday. “We know exactly who will be announced as the $1 million recipient today and tomorrow.”

Musk’s Absence and Krasner’s Testimony

Musk did not attend the hearing, held on the day before the presidential election. He has committed more than $70 million to the super PAC to help Trump and other Republicans win in November.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner took the witness stand Monday and called the sweepstakes a scam as he asked the judge to shut it down. Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta planned to rule after a short lunch break.

“This was all a political marketing masquerading as a lottery,” Krasner testified. “That’s what it is. A grift.”

Sweepstakes Details and Legal Concerns

Lawyers for Musk and the PAC said they do not plan to extend the lottery beyond Tuesday. Krasner said the first three winners, starting on Oct. 19, came from Pennsylvania in the days leading up to the state’s Oct. 21 voter registration deadline.

Other winners came from the battleground states of Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan. It’s not clear if anyone has yet received the money. The PAC pledged they would get it by Nov. 30, according to an exhibit shown in court.

More than 1 million people from the seven states have registered for the sweepstakes by signing a petition saying they support the right to free speech and to bear arms, the first two amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Krasner questioned how the PAC might use their data, which it will have on hand well past the election.

“They were scammed for their information,” Krasner said. “It has almost unlimited use.”

Legal Proceedings and Potential Consequences

Krasner’s lawyer, John Summers, said Musk is “the heartbeat of America PAC,” and the person announcing the winners and presenting the checks.

“He was the one who presented the checks, albeit large cardboard checks. We don’t really know if there are any real checks,” Summers said.

Foglietta was presiding over the case at Philadelphia City Hall after Musk and the PAC lost an effort to move it to federal court.

Krasner has said he could still consider criminal charges, as he’s tasked with protecting both lotteries and the integrity of elections. In the lawsuit, he said the defendants are “indisputably violating” Pennsylvania’s lottery laws.

Pennsylvania remains a key battleground state with 19 electoral votes and both Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris have repeatedly visited the state, including stops planned Monday in the final hours of the campaign.

Krasner — who noted that he has long driven a Tesla — said he could also seek civil damages for the Pennsylvania registrants. Musk owns Tesla along with the social media platform X, where America PAC has published posts on the sweepstakes, and the rocket ship maker SpaceX.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

California Is a Donor State, but Can It Stop Sending Its Tax Dollars to DC?

Marines Prepare to Deploy in LA as More Protests Planned Across US

59 minutes ago

Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Sex Crime Amid Contentious Jury Deliberations

2 hours ago

Justice Department to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has closed about half of its open investigations into bribery by U.S. businesses overseas, but plans to ...

2 minutes ago

2 minutes ago

Justice Department to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad

19 minutes ago

Free Food, Haircuts, and Rapid HIV Testing Friday in Fresno

47 minutes ago

California Is a Donor State, but Can It Stop Sending Its Tax Dollars to DC?

Military Vehicles on LA Freeway 101
59 minutes ago

Marines Prepare to Deploy in LA as More Protests Planned Across US

2 hours ago

Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Sex Crime Amid Contentious Jury Deliberations

2 hours ago

Federal Raids Threaten California Businesses as Immigrant Workers Vanish From Job Sites

2 hours ago

Water Scarcity Is Forcing Tough Decisions. This Legislation Can Keep Our Family Farm Afloat

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the state Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP File)
2 hours ago

Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban Teaching Antisemitism in Arizona’s Public Schools

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend