Trevor Milton: Biography, Career, and Business Insights

Trevor Milton’s Profile Summary

Company	Stock Manipulation
Position	Founder and Executive Chairman of Nikola Corporation
Source of wealth	Proceeds from the sale of Nikola Corporation stock, compensation as Executive Chairman of Nikola Corporation
Also known as	Entrepreneur, convicted fraudster.
Age	44
Education	Utah Valley State College – attended but did not graduate.
Citizenship	United States
Residence	Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Family	Married to Chelsey Bergmann; information about children is not publicly disclosed.
Website, Social Media	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Milton

Biography

Trevor Milton, born on April 6, 1981, in Layton, Utah, is an American entrepreneur best known for founding Nikola Corporation, a company specializing in electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. Milton's early ventures included an alarm sales company and an online classified ads website for used cars, both of which provided foundational business experience. In 2015, he established Nikola Corporation, aiming to revolutionize the transportation industry with zero-emission trucks. Under his leadership, Nikola went public in 2020 and briefly achieved a market valuation exceeding $20 billion. However, Milton resigned from his position in September 2020 amid allegations of misleading investors about the company's technological advancements. In October 2022, he was convicted of securities and wire fraud and was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison in December 2023

How did Trevor Milton make money?

Trevor Milton makes money in the following areas:

Proceeds from the sale of Nikola Corporation stock, compensation as Executive Chairman of Nikola Corporation
What is Trevor Milton net worth?

As of 2026, Trevor Milton’s net worth is estimated to be $8 M.

What is Trevor Milton also known as?

Trevor Milton is recognized as an entrepreneur who founded multiple startups, including an alarm sales company and an online classified ads platform for used cars. His career faced significant legal challenges when he was convicted of securities and wire fraud for misleading investors about Nikola's technological capabilities

Prominent achievements

Founded Nikola Corporation in 2015, leading it to a public offering in 2020; briefly achieved a personal net worth exceeding $5 billion in 2020; featured on Forbes' 400 Billionaires List in 2020

What are Trevor Milton’s key insights?

Trevor Milton emphasized innovation in the transportation sector, aiming to develop zero-emission vehicles to reduce environmental impact. He advocated for bold vision and aggressive promotion to attract investment and drive technological advancement

Personal life

Trevor Milton married Chelsey Bergmann in 2018. The couple resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Details about their children are not publicly available

Useful insights

Hedge Fund Managers Who Broke the Rules

Hedge funds operate in a high-stakes world, where performance is everything. But in several high-profile cases, that pressure led seasoned professionals to break the law. These scandals shook investor confidence and led to major legal and regulatory reforms.

Raj Rajaratnam (Galleon Group)

At its peak, Galleon managed over $7 billion in assets. Rajaratnam built his strategy around exclusive access to confidential information. Prosecutors uncovered a vast insider trading network involving tech executives and consultants, with illegal profits estimated at $63 million. His 2011 conviction, secured through rare wiretap evidence, became a turning point in white-collar prosecution.
Steven A. Cohen (SAC Capital)

Although Steven Cohen himself wasn’t criminally charged, eight of his employees were convicted for insider trading. SAC Capital was accused of fostering a “compliance-blind” culture where information leaks were tolerated. The fund paid $1.8 billion in penalties and was barred from managing external capital. Cohen later returned with a new firm under tighter regulatory constraints.
James Lewis (James D. Lewis & Co.)

Lewis presented himself as a low-risk investment advisor offering fixed returns through bonds and structured notes. In reality, he used new investor money to pay off existing clients, in classic Ponzi fashion. Thousands of mostly elderly investors across the UK were affected. He was sentenced in 2021 after pleading guilty to fraud.

A clear takeaway for me: The illusion of sophistication can be dangerous. Just because a fund is well-dressed and speaks the right language doesn’t mean it plays by the rules. Real professionals value clarity over complexity.