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Philadelphia DA files lawsuit against Elon Musk and his super PAC over  million giveaway
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Philadelphia DA files lawsuit against Elon Musk and his super PAC over $1 million giveaway

Philadelphia’s district attorney asked a state judge on Monday to shut down tech billionaire Elon Musk’s controversial $1 million gift to registered voters, calling it an “illegal lottery scheme.”

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

CNN reached out to a spokesperson for Musk’s super PAC comment.

“America PAC and Musk convince citizens of Philadelphia 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 a chance to win $1 million.” the lawsuit alleges. “It’s a lottery. And there is no question that this was an illegal lottery.”

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 raffle should be halted because it operates outside those legal barriers.

The lawsuit argues that the lottery rules are “deceptive” and says, “Although Musk said the selection of the winner was ‘random,’ this appears false because the multiple winners selected were people who attended Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.”

The case relies on Pennsylvania’s lottery and consumer protection laws. Krasner said his case is not about state and federal laws prohibiting vote buying.

The U.S. Department of Justice also warned Musk’s super PAC that its gifts could violate federal laws that make it a crime to offer cash for voter registration.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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