this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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The Justice Department warned Elon Musk that his $1 million giveaway could come with a prison sentence—and it appears he’s actually paying attention.

After receiving a warning from the Justice Department, Elon Musk has stopped his $1 million giveaway to swing voters from his super PAC.

The tech CEO pledged Saturday to give away the hefty sum each day to one registered voter in a battleground state who signed America PAC’s pro–First and Second Amendment pledge. Every day since then, a winner has been announced: three Pennsylvania voters and one North Carolina voter. 

However, the move immediately raised legal questions, as it’s a federal crime to pay someone to register to vote, punishable by a fine of $10,000, five years in prison, or both. Experts were divided, with Musk’s plan falling into a legal gray area at best. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called the move “deeply concerning,” and author Stephen King accused Musk of “paying to register Republicans.”

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[–] makyo@lemmy.world 10 points 2 hours ago
[–] savx@lemmy.world 25 points 4 hours ago

if it's illegal, just sue his ass already. you dont send warning to ordianry people who breaches the law right? at this point i have to say i'll be happy if musk would continue the lottery, slapping a giant F word in the DOJ's face.

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 25 points 4 hours ago

Got any more of them "warnings" for regular people?

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 5 hours ago

"Oh no. I got all the benefits I was after and now I can skip out on paying people a million dollars a day and blame the Democrat's for not doing it. Wah"

[–] daikiki@lemmy.world 180 points 8 hours ago (4 children)

I don't want to rock the boat or anything, but does anybody else think that maybe we need just a tiny bit of judicial reform? It seems to me like there's an awful lot of people doing an awful lot of criming and our judicial system is apparently not that interested about stopping them until after the next election. And there's always a next election.

So far.

[–] EvilBit@lemmy.world 43 points 7 hours ago (1 children)
  1. Try crime
  2. Benefit from crime
  3. Receive stern letter
  4. Pause crime
  5. Enjoy benefits from period of crime
  6. Repeat
[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 8 points 6 hours ago

This guy knows what he's talking about. He's an evil bit!

[–] TrippaSnippa@lemm.ee 73 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I'm starting to think that money in politics is a problem...

[–] Orbituary@lemmy.world 17 points 7 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 9 points 6 hours ago

Eh.....gut feeling.

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 47 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

What chaps my hide is that this is just a warning and not outright a clear case of election interference. I'm tired of warnings instead of judgments. Less likely to see these stories if people actually faced consequences for their actions.

[–] _core@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 hours ago

If I did it I'd be in jail already. The rules are different when you're rich.

[–] ravhall@discuss.online 25 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

If by reform you mean we need to just get rid of people who are too wealthy to get away with crime, then yes… Any measure to accomplish this is acceptable by me

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Absolutely goddamn tax them out of existence. Yesterday.

[–] ravhall@discuss.online 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Tax, is that a euphemism for guillotine?

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 hours ago

Guillotines were considered somewhat painless, I am far more malicious. Get a length of rope and a shitty executioner, I want em to suffocate.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 78 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Well he already broke the law. Jail him.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 49 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Sorry he is too wealthy for that. Best they can do is politely warn him.

[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 17 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Makes one wonder how much wealth it takes, and what other things work the same way.

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

We reached out to Jeffrey Epstein for comment.

At the time of this post he has not responded to our inquiry.

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 10 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

The only way to actually be punished as a rich person is to endanger the position of other rich people.

It's the unforgivable sin.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

We reached out to Bernie Madoff for comment...

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Bernie Madoff took money from a LOT of rich people - both directly and indirectly.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

yeah that's my point. that's why he got sentenced.

[–] clover@slrpnk.net 27 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

$10,000 fine on a $1,000,000 lottery is just a 1% tax. I'm surprised he even bothered to notice.

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 24 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

It was probably the 5 years in prison part that he cares about

[–] radioactivefunguy@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

If he stops it now, he's not going to see prison or pay a dime...

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Even if he doesn't stop it now, he’s not going to see prison or pay a dime…

[–] Goun@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I'd even say the government is gonna give him some more money

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Of course. If they don't the communists win.

[–] troed@fedia.io 4 points 5 hours ago

I'm assuming there's an additional risk of having to step down from any company he owns with federal contracts as well.

[–] aseriesoftubes@lemmy.world 25 points 7 hours ago

Deport him back to SA

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

I'd like to see him get arrested and then see how scared he is. This warning seems like the same strongly-worded letter all these rich assholes get.

[–] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

He's rich! Nothing is going to happen.

[–] MediaBiasFactChecker@lemmy.world -4 points 8 hours ago

New Republic - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for New Republic:

MBFC: Left - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United States of America
Wikipedia about this source

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