“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair business practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner, a Democrat, said in a statement. “The DA is also responsible for protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections. »

Krasner’s office argued that Pennsylvania law requires all lotteries to be “operated and administered by the state” and that Musk’s giveaways must stop because the billionaire tech mogul operates outside those boundaries.

Furthermore, the contested civil suit whether Musk’s winners were actually selected at random, saying “this appears false because several selected winners are individuals who showed up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.”

The civil action does not automatically preclude criminal charges, Krasner noted, explaining that “this civil action does not preclude or require possible future actions under Pennsylvania criminal law.” The Philadelphia District Attorney will challenge the factual allegations and legal arguments underlying today’s filing in the docket and in court.

The America PAC, which Musk used to promote former President Donald Trump, launched the giveaways earlier this month, offering $1 million each day to a registered voter in one of seven key states, including Pennsylvania.

The top three winners were from Pennsylvania, where Musk has focused his support for Trump in recent weeks.

Federal attention to the coin toss has intensified. The Department of Justice sent a warning letter in America PAC last week, suggesting that cash distributions could violate federal laws prohibiting payments for voter registration.

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Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) called the gift “deeply concerning” earlier this month and said it could be something “law enforcement could look into.”

Nonetheless, the PAC has persisted with its giveaways, distributing nine checks so far to voters in states including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.