Convicted Fraudster And Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Reportedly Pardoned By Trump

EV startup Nikola founder Trevor Milton was charged with fraud in the summer of 2021, found guilty in the fall of 2022 and sentenced to four years in prison. Thursday night, however, news broke that President Trump had pardoned Milton. At the time, there were questions over the validity of the pardon since it could not be found in any official channels. Even this morning, more than 12 hours later, there is no mention of Milton's pardon on the official list of Presidential actions or the Justice Department's official list of pardons. According to both CNBC and Marketwatch, however, the White House has since confirmed Milton's pardon. 

Trump is, of course, no stranger to pardoning convicted fraudsters. It was a favorite activity of his during his first term, and prior to reportedly pardoning Milton, he also pardoned Devon Archer, who was found guilty of defrauding the Oglala Nation. According to Marketwatch, earlier this month, the Southern District of New York filed a request with the court asking that Milton be forced to repay $661 million in restitution to investors he defrauded. That figure is reportedly based on an analysis from Compass Lexicon, a consulting firm brought in to determine the extent of Milton's fraud. Now, those investors can kiss any chance of receiving any restitution goodbye.

As you would probably expect from a pardoned fraudster, Milton has several ties to the current Trump administration. During his trial, TechCrunch reports he was represented by Brad Bondi, brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi. And while there are no records of him making large political donations prior to 2024, following his conviction, CNBC reports he gave $920,000 to the Trump 47 Committee, as well as $750,000 to the MAHA Alliance, a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. political action committee. 

Milton's press release also pushed the narrative that Trump was unjustly convicted, saying, "The striking similarities between Milton's case and those brought against President Trump highlight systemic issues within the justice system, particularly within the Southern District of New York." A jury found Trump guilty of 34 felonies related to his attempt to buy the silence of the woman he cheated on his wife with shortly after his youngest child was born and then conceal the money. 

Milton also announced in his press release that he plans to soon release a documentary that will tell his side of the story. So that's neat. It sure has to suck to be one of the people who lost money investing in Nikola, though. It's also probably not great that the president is signaling once again that fraud is fine as long as you're rich. Although, you never know. Maybe the documentary will provide all the proof we need to conclude Milton is completely innocent. It probably won't, but sure, it could happen.