Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Granted Full Pardon by President Trump

Trevor Milton, the founder of electric truck company Nikola, has just received a full pardon from US President Donald Trump. This pardon comes after Milton was charged with multiple financial frauds involving his company and illegally obtaining funds. In 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison for his actions at the company, but now he has been completely pardoned by the US president and cannot be charged again for these crimes.

This pardon comes less than two weeks after the prosecution asked the judge to order Milton to repay nearly $680 million in restitution to his company’s investors. He was also subject to paying $15.2 million in fines associated with the scheme he was accused of.

According to the prosecution, Milton artificially inflated the value of his company’s stocks by giving speeches with ideas and promises of technologies that, despite his claims of being ready for production, were not even developed. The prosecution proved that almost all the technologies promised by Nikola were nothing more than a facade to boost the company’s stock value.

In 2018, Nikola launched a video showcasing what was supposed to be their first prototype of a fully electric truck, the Nikola One. However, the prosecution argues that the truck wasn’t even connected to anything and the footage was shot as it rolled down a slight incline.

In response, the company stated that they never claimed the truck was directly connected to anything or that the video represented it in operation, despite it being a trailer for the technology and the vehicle itself.

After receiving the pardon from the US president, Milton now claims that he intends to release a documentary presenting his side of the story and the facts.

Milton was one of Donald Trump’s main supporters during his presidential campaign, donating millions of dollars to him and his campaigns. It’s worth noting that this pardon from the US president comes at a time when Trump has been granting several pardons, including over 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 incident at the US Capitol.

It’s a controversial move that raises questions about the motivations behind Trump’s pardons and the potential implications for the justice system. Will this pardon further erode public trust in the system? And what does it mean for the victims of Milton’s alleged fraud?

Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: this story is far from over.