Trevor Milton, once renowned for his role as the founder, executive chairman, and CEO of Nikola Corporation, has seen his career sharply decline due to accusations of deceit. Under Milton’s guidance since its inception in 2014, Nikola aimed to revolutionize the transportation industry with semi trucks powered by electric batteries and hydrogen fuel. However, his journey took a negative turn when he stepped down from his roles at Nikola in September 2020 following fraud allegations. These allegations were initially brought to light by a short seller who accused Milton of exaggerating the capabilities of the company’s technology. Subsequently, he was indicted on three counts of fraud by a federal grand jury, culminating in a December 2023 sentence of four years in prison.
The question of how long Trevor Milton will actually serve in prison has been a topic of discussion on tech and business blogs. Unsurprisingly, many publishers get this information incorrect.
To address this and provide a real answer to the question, we offer the definitive answer to how long Nikola’s Trevor Milton will actually serve in prison. (The basis for this calculation is offered in greater detail in our post, “How to Calculate How Much Time You Will Actually Serve in Federal Prison.”)
Calculating How Much Time Trevor Milton Will Actually Serve
- Starting Point: 48 months.
- Less Good Time Credits of 7.2 months (equal to 15% of his total sentence), which brings his new total to 40.8 months
- Less First Step Act Credits of 12 months (which he will earn for working and participating in recidivism programming over the course of his time in a federal prison camp), which brings his new total to 28.8 months
- Less Residential Drug Abuse Program credits of 12 months (which he can participate in and earn due to his history of substance abuse), which brings his new total to 16 months
Milton will likely receive assignment to residential re-entry for the final four months of his sentence so he can complete the final portion of the Residential Drug Abuse Program (also known as TDAT). All told, Trevor Milton should spend approximately 12 months in a federal prison camp.
When Will Trevor Milton Return Home from Prison?
All told, it should be expected Trevor Milton will serve about 12 months in federal prison and transfer to halfway house around January or February 2025. He will then serve 4 months in the halfway house or (most likely) on home confinement and be released from Bureau of Prisons custody in May 2025.
Ways Milton’s Expected Sentence Can Change
There are a number of ways this calculation can change, both against his wishes and in his favor.
- Milton may lose Good Time Credits or First Step Act Credits due to disciplinary action.
- Milton may not gain entry into the Residential Drug Abuse Program or she may fail to complete the program. In either case, he would not earn those 12 months of credit.
- Milton may file and earn Compassionate Release, which can be granted by his sentencing judge under certain circumstances. This is a long-shot and not likely applicable in his case.
Remember, the way the Bureau of Prisons calculates sentences does occasionally change. This post was last updated in December 2023.