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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[–] daikiki 265 points 5 days ago (5 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.

[–] [email protected] 102 points 5 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] Orbituary 22 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] Lost_My_Mind 15 points 4 days ago

Eh.....gut feeling.

[–] EvilBit 84 points 5 days ago (2 children)
  1. Try crime
  2. Benefit from crime
  3. Receive stern letter
  4. Pause crime
  5. Enjoy benefits from period of crime
  6. Repeat
[–] [email protected] 33 points 4 days ago
  1. Already be rich
[–] Lost_My_Mind 13 points 4 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 58 points 5 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 days 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 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Absolutely goddamn tax them out of existence. Yesterday.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Tax, is that a euphemism for guillotine?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago

Meanwhile some deaf, mentally impaired, black dude gets tased and beat up by police for the crime of... Checks watch... Being black and unable to hear the officer.

[–] badbytes 50 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Wish the rest of us got warnings when we break laws

[–] ChronosTriggerWarning 14 points 3 days ago

"When you're a billionaire, they let you do. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the judiciary."

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

"Elon Musk sure seems... Dumb..."

[–] just_another_person 105 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Well he already broke the law. Jail him.

[–] T00l_shed 73 points 5 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 days 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 19 points 4 days 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 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

We reached out to Bernie Madoff for comment...

[–] mycodesucks 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] pyre 9 points 4 days ago

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

[–] 4lan 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It seeming like we need some sort of working people's militia. A vigilante group that actually holds billionaires just as accountable as us.

Put these mother fuckers in jail until their court date just like us.

Set their bail proportional to their wealth. If I get $10,000 bail he gets a $10,000,000,000 dollar bail.

What if we citizens-arrest these people? Isn't that our duty?

I can find a nice Barn to lock them in until their court date

[–] savx 72 points 4 days ago (2 children)

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.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

You send a warning and if they don't follow it you can now apply for a harsher sentence.

If you skip the warning you might win still, but you'll have a harder time getting the harshest punishment.

They could still charge him post warning even if he'd stopped, but then it looks like he cooperated and will probably not get the harshest punishment.

Harshest punishment requires the warning and ignoring of it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Harshest punishment requires the warning and ignoring of it.

Does it say that in the law code? I thought that being ignorant of the law doesn't matter for most prosecutions ("ignorantia juris non excusat")

[–] NotMyOldRedditName 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Not by law, but it's just like first time offenders or cooperating defendants or guilty pleas often getting lighter sentences.

They could still throw the book at you, as they do at times, but it's not a guaranteed success.

[–] Badeendje 4 points 4 days ago

The grey area is that he uses the petition as a strawman. The DOJ will need to prove it is a strawman. At the same time the petition works as a filter to only attract republicans and put off democrats.

I agree this should be persecuted but there is enough mud in the water for a drawn out trial and finally the criminals in SCOTUS to rule it acceptable.

[–] makyo 61 points 4 days ago (2 children)
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[–] Dorkyd68 31 points 4 days ago (1 children)

He ain't scared of shit. At the end of the day he's so rich he could murder someone in broad daylight with multiple witnesses and still walkl a free man.

In America money buys freedom

[–] 4lan 4 points 3 days ago

It doesn't only buy your freedom, it buys other people's freedom away from them too

[–] [email protected] 43 points 4 days 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"

[–] RedditWanderer 42 points 4 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 50 points 5 days ago

Breaks law by using his wealth to sway the results of an election. Gets a warning.

I really do believe what Trump said about shooting a man and not losing any votes… except he would also walk away with a warning not to do it again.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] radioactivefunguy 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] mycodesucks 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] mycodesucks 3 points 4 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days 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 31 points 5 days ago

Deport him back to SA

[–] Snapz 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)
[–] CharlesDarwin 10 points 4 days 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 7 points 4 days ago

He's rich! Nothing is going to happen.

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