A growing number of Pennsylvanians say they have received mysterious $100 checks that appear to be from Elon Musk’s America PAC, which helped run field games for President-elect Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
In the days since The Inquirer published the first story about two Pennsylvanians who received an unwanted and unexplained $100 check, seven additional Pennsylvanians told The Inquirer that they, too, received money without signing the first and second super PAC petition marked as a necessary step for Pennsylvania’s registered voters to cash in on a “special offer.”
For example, check recipients live throughout the state, from Philadelphia to Lucerne, York and Northumberland counties. Photos provided to The Inquirer show the checks are stamped with one of two dates: Oct. 29 or Nov. 2. Some recipients said they received the money in the mail on the eve of the election, others a few days later.
The checks also contain the company address “United States of America Inc.”, i.e the name of Musk’s holding company established in early October.
America PAC did not respond to requests for comment on the legality of the audit.
Frank Tuplin, a retired Philadelphia attorney and Democrat, said he not only never signed the petition but also contributed twice to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. Shortly before Election Day, he received a check for $100.
“I remember being surprised this close to the election,” Tuplin said. “I had already voted by mail, so I didn’t understand his intention.”
Tuplin and most other Pennsylvanians who approached The Inquirer said they would never cash the check, a protest against Musk’s continued efforts to lend a hand Trump win Pennsylvania, which some Pennsylvania Republicans credit him with.
However, Lesley Geyer, a self-described “lifetime Democrat” from Luzerne County, stated that she successfully deposited the check on November 13 with the intention of donating the proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union. which is preparing to fight Trump’s agenda in court.
America PAC said it would verify the accuracy of cash prize recipient information, however, this was not the case for multiple check recipients, including Steve Anderson of Northumberland County.
“Like others, I am a registered Democratic voter, I have NOT signed any petition, and I certainly have not ‘verified’ anything,” Anderson wrote in an email.
And now it appears that the controls have gone beyond the scope of the Democratic Party. Austin Gwiazdowski, a Democrat from Grays Ferry who received his own bona fide check, said his aunt, a Republican, also received $100 and said she did not recall signing the petition.
According to the America PAC website, people who sign the petition will receive cash rewards through November 30.
The petition was one of several initiatives launched by Musk to boost support for Trump in Pennsylvania. He has held several town halls across the Commonwealth and donated millions of dollars to PACs. His work, for which Trump frequently praised him during the campaign, was rewarded with access to Trump’s inner circle and interviews with world leaders and a position to co-lead the proposed “Department of Government Effectiveness.”
