Crime & Safety
Elon Musk Won't Face Election Bribery Charges In Wisconsin, State Prosecutor Says
Musk was deeply involved in the effort to flip majority control of the highest court in battleground Wisconsin last year.
Updated on: August 26, 2026
Elon Musk will not face charges for promising to give $1 million to voters in a 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election because no jury would find that constituted election bribery, a state prosecutor said Tuesday.
Find out what's happening in Across Wisconsinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Musk, the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, was deeply involved in the effort to flip majority control of the highest court in battleground Wisconsin last year. But the candidate he and Republicans backed lost to Democratic-supported Susan Crawford, whose victory preserved liberals' majority on the court.
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission in July referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney's office for possible charges, saying Musk likely broke the law. La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke was later appointed as a special prosecutor because of a conflict of interest.
Find out what's happening in Across Wisconsinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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