Elon Musk could face criminal charges in Wisconsin after a bipartisan elections panel determined last week that the billionaire likely violated state law by handing out $1,000,000 (£785,000) cheques to voters. The Wisconsin Elections Commission referred two confidential complaints to the Brown County district attorney, granting prosecutors 40 days to decide whether to formally accuse the tech executive of election bribery over his conduct during the 2025 state Supreme Court election.
The news came after Musk invested vast resources into a failed effort to capture majority control of the highest court in the crucial battleground state. The SpaceX founder and his affiliated political groups spent $20,000,000 (£15.7 million) to support Republican candidate Brad Schimel, who ultimately suffered a 10-point defeat to Susan Crawford. This financial intervention helped push total spending on the contest past $100,000,000 (£78.5 million), cementing its status as the most expensive judicial race in American history.
