US charges Nikola founder with fraud published : 30 Jul 2021 at 07:45 1 US federal prosecutors say Nikola founder Trevor Milton claimed a semi-truck prototype was operational, when it actually was not NEW YORK: US officials on Thursday charged Nikola founder and former executive chairman Trevor Milton with "brazenly" defrauding investors through a litany of false claims about the company's electric vehicles. "In order to drive investor demand for Nikola's stock, Milton lied about nearly every aspect of the business," said US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss at a news conference held after her office released a 49-page indictment of Milton on three counts of fraud.