Trevor Milton, the founder of bankrupt electric and hydrogen-powered truck maker Nikola who was convicted of fraud, said in a social media post that he has been pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Milton was sentenced to four years in prison in 2023 after a jury found him guilty of lying to investors about the company’s technology.
“Today I was issued a full and unconditional pardon by Donald Trump himself. He called me personally to tell me,” Milton said in a post on X.
“This pardon is not just about me — it’s about every American who has been railroaded by the government, and unfortunately, that’s a lot of people,” he added.
Milton was convicted of fraud charges after prosecutors portrayed him as a con man after starting his company in a Utah basement.
Milton resigned in 2020 amid reports of fraud that sent Nikola’s stock prices into a tailspin. Investors suffered heavy losses as reports questioned Milton’s claims that the company had already produced zero-emission 18-wheel trucks.
Last month, Nikola and its Hyla hydrogen fueling subsidiary filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and was seeking to sell itself.
