Two Pennsylvanians say they received $100 from Elon Musk’s PAC but didn’t sign his petition

When Austin Gwiazdowski picked up the mail on Tuesday, he thought the $100 check – sealed in perforated paper and emblazoned with a return address from Austin, Texas – was phony.

“I thought it was one of those, you know, insurance or someone trying to sell you something,” Gwiazdowski said.

But when he looked a little closer, he saw a note on the check saying “America PAC Petition,” which has the same name as Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC, which handed out cash prizes to Pennsylvanians and other swing state voters who signed the petition, in where they declared support for the First and Second Amendments. The signatory information could also have been used to provide contacts to pro-Trump messages from Musk’s PAC.

» READ MORE: Elon Musk’s “Tony Stark” energy helped excite Pennsylvanians for Trump. And Republicans are chasing his rising star.

The problem is that Gwiazdowski – a registered Democrat – did not sign the America PAC petition, which disqualified him from receiving the PAC’s “special offer” of $100 to Pennsylvania voters before Election Day.

Gwiazdowski, 30, is one of at least two Pennsylvanians who did not sign Musk’s America PAC petition and yet received a $100 check from what is believed to be Musk’s America PAC. A woman from York, Pennsylvania also said she received a check even though she never signed it.

The Inquirer obtained a photo of the check and its envelope obtained by Gwiazdowski. The return address is from “United States of America Inc” in Austin, Texas. The check itself has a San Mateo, California address and is signed by “Todd Lewis.” Lewis’ identity or any connection to America PAC is unclear.

Representatives for America PAC did not respond to a request for comment and it is unclear whether the audits are warranted.

» READ MORE: Judge says Philadelphia district attorney’s lawsuit against Elon Musk’s $1 million donation lacked evidence and arguments were ‘unpersuasive’

Gwiazdowski, the database administrator for the Philadelphia School District, said he had no idea why he received the check – except for a Republican family member who may have signed and provided a mailing address, but that’s unlikely, he said.

The Grays Ferry resident said he has no plans to cash the check. It would be like “taking money from the devil” and would be consenting to his actions, Gwiazdowski said, noting that he was “pretty angry” that his name was used without his consent.

Jeanne Fermier, an unaffiliated voter from York, said she was in a similar boat. She did not sign the petition and none of her friends admitted to writing her name as a joke, she added. She also failed to verify her information as America PAC promised before making the payment, The case was reported by the York Daily Record.. He also has no intention of cashing the check.

However, some voters who signed the petition are still waiting for their $100.

One of those people is 18-year-old Mia Humphreys, a Republican and Penn State student. She signed the petition on October 21 and is still waiting for the money, even though she knows two people who signed the petition and who received the check.

Due to the size of the transaction, America PAC said it expects to issue all payments by November 30. As of Oct. 31, PAC had mailed 187,000 checks.

The petition was one of many initiatives sponsored by Musk’s America PAC to assist the billionaire deliver Pennsylvania for Trump. He has also held town halls across the commonwealth and donated millions to PACs. The world’s richest man has gained increasing political power as a close ally of the president-elect, speaking to world leaders, becoming an honorary member of the Trump family and even being rewarded with the opportunity to co-chair the newly created “Department of Government Effectiveness,” though many details of the project remain unclear .