▲ Elon Musk handing out a 1 million USD check
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has cleared legal hurdles and will not face charges after offering to provide two checks of 1 million USD, approximately 1.39 billion won, in connection with the Wisconsin Supreme Court election last year.
Tim Grunki, District Attorney (DA) for La Crosse County, Wisconsin, explained the decision not to prosecute in a letter shared with the U.S. political outlet The Hill on the 25th local time, stating, "Ultimately, no one received anything of value in exchange for voting or promising to vote."
When announcing that he would hold a speaking event in Wisconsin last March, Musk posted on social media X (formerly Twitter) that admission to the event would be restricted to those who voted in the state Supreme Court election scheduled for April 1, writing, "I will personally hand over two $1 million checks as a token of appreciation for you taking the time to vote."
About 12 hours later, the post was deleted, and a new post was uploaded stating that only those who signed a petition against "activist judges" would be allowed admission.
Musk stated that the money would be paid to two individuals who would become "spokespersons" for the petition.
Musk subsequently handed out 1 million USD checks to two individuals on March 30 of last year.
DA Grunki explained that while Musk's initial post could be interpreted as offering a "chance to win a lottery at a town hall event" in exchange for voting, it could also be viewed as "offering admission to a free town hall event, with the money being a predetermined amount given to individuals selected as 'spokespersons' rather than compensation for the act of voting," noting the possibility of two interpretations.
He added, "Whichever of these two interpretations is chosen, the second post appears to recognize the potential for a legal violation and corrects it."
He continued, "Even if we could convince a jury that the initial post still constituted a bribe, given (Musk's) intent, the second post, and the fact that ultimately no one received anything of value in exchange for voting or promising to vote, it is unlikely that a jury would return a guilty verdict against Musk."
DA Grunki's decision not to prosecute comes about one month after the Wisconsin Elections Commission, composed of three Republicans and three Democrats, pointed out that Musk may have violated state election laws and voted 5-1 to refer the matter to prosecutors last month.
The case was originally filed with the Brown County District Attorney's Office, but due to a conflict of interest, DA Grunki took charge of handling the case as a special prosecutor.
DA Grunki assessed the controversy as a "simple case where an announcement with poorly chosen wording was corrected and amended to comply with the law," despite involving a celebrity and a large sum of money.
DA Grunki is a Democrat and was elected by local residents.
Ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election last year, Musk supported conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who is affiliated with the Republican Party, but his rival Susan Crawford won.
As a result, the ideological balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court maintained its liberal majority at 4 to 3.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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