---
title: "Elon Musk Faces Criminal Charges: Wisconsin Commission Accuses Him of Voter Bribery"
description: "Elon Musk could become the subject of a criminal case in the US. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has accused him of bribing voters with million-dollar checks during the Supreme Court elections. The prosecutor's office has received complaints and must decide on filing charges within 40 days. ⚖️💸"
date: 2026-07-15T12:26:09.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/elon-musk-faces-criminal-charges-wisconsin-voter-bribery
tags: [elon-musk, wisconsin, supreme-court, spacex, tesla]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Elon Musk Faces Criminal Charges: Wisconsin Commission Accuses Him of Voter Bribery

![Elon Musk in a business suit, using hand gestures to emphasize the seriousness of the Wisconsin criminal case](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/15/elon-musk-pod-ugrozoy-ugolovnogo-dela-viskonsin/elon-musk-pod-ugrozoy-ugolovnogo-dela-viskonsin-1.webp)

American entrepreneur Elon Musk has found himself at the center of a serious legal scandal. The bipartisan Elections Commission of the state of Wisconsin has concluded that the billionaire likely violated local laws by distributing $1 million checks to voters during the 2025 state Supreme Court elections.

The decision to refer the case to law enforcement was made during a closed-door meeting of the commission. The vote passed with a result of 5 to 1, indicating the seriousness of the incident despite the political diversity of the body. Complaints have been forwarded to the Brown County District Attorney's Office, where prosecutors must now decide whether to file criminal charges for voter bribery.

### Million-Dollar Checks and Judicial Elections

According to data received by the prosecutor's office, complaints were filed by voters from the cities of Milwaukee and Green Bay. The materials include information that Musk personally distributed checks at a rally in Green Bay a few days before the voting. Such actions, if proven, could be classified as a direct violation of state campaign finance laws and voter bribery.

District prosecutors have 40 days to review the materials and submit a report to the commission. If the facts are confirmed, Musk could face serious liability, considering his status and the scale of his intervention in the political process.

### Political Battle in Wisconsin

The intervention by the founder of SpaceX and Tesla in the Wisconsin elections was unprecedented. The tech magnate and groups supported by him spent at least $20 million on Republican candidate Brad Schimel. Wisconsin is traditionally considered one of the key states ("swing states"), where the election outcome can determine the balance of power at the national level.

However, despite the colossal investment, Schimel lost the election. His opponent, Democrat Susan Crawford, won with a margin of 10 percentage points. These elections entered US history as the most expensive judicial elections in the country, with total costs exceeding $100 million.

A month after the defeat, Musk publicly stated that he would significantly reduce his spending on political campaigns in the future. Nevertheless, the current scandal involving complaints of voter bribery could become a serious obstacle to his further political activity.

### Previous Legal Proceedings

This is not the first time Elon Musk has faced legal problems related to his public statements and actions. Earlier, in March, a jury established that the entrepreneur had misled the public during the acquisition of the social network Twitter in 2022.

Currently, public attention is focused on how the Brown County prosecutor's office will assess Musk's actions in Wisconsin. For the world's first trillionaire, who achieved his status following the record IPO of SpaceX, reputational and legal risks could become significant factors in his business strategy.