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Hasen said willful violation of statute 52 U.S.C. 10307(c) comes with a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.
Please, stop, I cant only get so erect.
"I don't think it would be likely that he would suffer such a serious fine," Hasen said of Musk. "Although, if he was warned that this is illegal activity and continued to do it, I think that would create a different kind of situation."
Musk: violates a federal law by giving away a cool million every day until election day
Feds: "let's fine that guy $10,000, that seems like a pretty serious amount for a fine"
If the consequence of violating a law is a fine, that law is essentially optional for the rich; if the consequences of violating a law is prison time, but the penalties can be avoided through (expensive) legal protection, those laws are also optional for the rich. The rich are hard to prosecute under the law, so it's not surprising when the law is primarily enforced on the rest of us (esp. on the most vulnerable of us).
An easy example: the IRS audits the poor much more than the wealthy, partially because their attempts to target the wealthy was met with legal difficulties.
So...he's been officially warned to stop, right?
Looks like the DOJ did send a letter:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/elon-musk-doj-letter-paying-people-to-vote-is-a-crime
In a letter sent days after he announced the sweepstakes, Robert Heberle, the head of the DOJ’s election crimes branch, told Musk that offering anything of monetary value to influence voters violates federal law. ... The letter reportedly “did not specify any immediate legal action” but “did spell out the penalties for breaking US voting laws, including possible imprisonment of up to five years.”
$10,000 is worth the publicity, they'll spend more than that on lawyers avoiding the 5 years.
I hate that justice has a paywall
"I don't think it would be likely that he would suffer such a serious fine," Hasen said of Musk. "Although, if he was warned that this is illegal activity and continued to do it, I think that would create a different kind of situation."
this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2024
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