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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minutePresident Donald Trump granted Nikola founder Trevor Milton a full and unconditional pardon in March 2025. The pardon covered Milton’s federal criminal case, including the financial penalties tied to that case, according to a later Nikola court filing. It did not by itself erase his jury convictions or resolve separate SEC or civil matters.
What happened in Milton’s criminal case?
A federal jury found Milton guilty on October 14, 2022, of one securities-fraud count and two wire-fraud counts, according to a Nikola court filing. The Justice Department’s clemency listing identifies the offenses as securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud in the Southern District of New York.
On December 18, 2023, Milton was sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department records. The company filing also reports a $1 million fine and forfeiture of certain real estate. The indictment had been filed on July 29, 2021, according to that filing.
What did Trump’s pardon cover?
The Justice Department’s 2025 clemency listing names Milton, and the pardon instrument states, “A FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL PARDON,” invoking the president’s authority under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution. The White House confirmed the pardon on March 28, 2025, the Associated Press reported; Nikola’s filing gives March 27 as the instrument date.
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That filing says the grant remitted “any and all fines, penalties, forfeitures, and restitution ordered by the court” in the federal criminal action. In other words, the criminal-case monetary orders were covered as described in the filing. The court later exonerated and released Milton’s bail and other release conditions on April 7, 2025, it says.
Does a pardon erase a conviction?
No. A presidential pardon is not the same as an acquittal, and the materials cited here do not say the jury verdict was vacated. The Justice Department’s clemency record continues to list Milton’s offenses and sentence. Milton called the grant a “sacred pardon of innocence,” according to the Associated Press; that was his characterization, not a court finding that he had been acquitted.
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What did Trump and Milton say about the pardon?
The Associated Press reported that Trump said the pardon was “highly recommended by many people,” suggested Milton had been prosecuted because he supported Trump, and said Milton “did nothing wrong.” Those are the president’s reported public remarks; they do not establish who recommended the pardon privately or the administration’s internal decision process.
At Milton’s sentencing, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, as quoted by AP, that Milton had lied to investors “again and again” and that “fake it till you make it” was no excuse for fraud. The pardon does not change the fact that the jury returned guilty verdicts in the federal case.
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Did campaign donations cause the pardon?
The Associated Press reported that Milton and his wife donated more than $1.8 million to a Trump re-election campaign fund less than a month before the November 2024 election, citing federal election records. That timing is relevant context, but the reporting does not establish that the donations caused the pardon or prove a quid pro quo.
A September 16, 2026 House floor speech in the Congressional Record alleged donations of more than $1.8 million to committees supporting Trump and referred to a $695.2 million restitution calculation. Those statements are part of a lawmaker’s political argument, not independent proof of the allegations or an established court finding for that amount.
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What separate SEC and Nikola matters remained?
The pardon addressed Milton’s federal criminal case; it should not be treated as automatically resolving separate civil proceedings. A Nikola court filing says the SEC filed a civil action against Milton on July 29, 2021, and that the action remained stayed at the time of the filing. The sources cited here do not establish its final status.
The same filing describes a separate SEC matter involving Nikola Corporation: the company agreed to a cease-and-desist order related to alleged misconduct and was ordered to pay a $125 million penalty. Nikola reported that approximately $44.7 million had been paid under the schedule as of that filing. Those were company obligations, not Milton’s criminal sentence.
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The filing also says Nikola initiated arbitration against Milton in November 2021 and that an arbitration panel issued an award in Nikola’s favor in October 2023. It does not establish the final disposition of all arbitration-related or other civil obligations after the pardon. The pardon’s documented remission of orders in the federal criminal action is not evidence that every separate civil liability was eliminated.
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