The Philadelphia district attorney is suing Elon Musk and his super PAC over a $1 million sweepstakes

CNN
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The Philadelphia district attorney on Monday asked a state judge to stop tech billionaire Elon Musk's controversial $1 million raffle to registered voters, calling it an “illegal lottery scheme.”

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, filed the civil lawsuit against Musk and his pro-Trump group America PAC.

“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 “The statement says the lawsuit claims. “It’s a lottery. And it is undeniably an illegal lottery.”

A spokesman for Musk's super PAC did not comment on the lawsuit, instead highlighting the group's most recent $1 million winner, announced Monday – a registered voter from Hastings, Michigan.

In the lawsuit, Krasner's office argues that Pennsylvania law requires all lotteries to be “operated and administered by the state” — and that Musk's $1 million daily drawing must be stopped because it operates outside those legal boundaries.

“Although Musk says the selection of a winner was 'random,' that appears false because the multiple winners selected were people who showed up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania,” the lawsuit says, arguing that the lottery rules were “deceptive.”

The case is based on Pennsylvania's lottery and consumer protection laws. Krasner said his lawsuit is not about state and federal laws that prohibit vote buying.

The U.S. Justice Department has also warned Musk's super PAC that its giveaways could violate federal laws that criminalize offering cash for voter registration.

This story has been updated with additional details.