The founder and one-time executive chair of Nikola Corp. surrendered Thursday in New York on criminal charges alleging that he made false and misleading statements to investors about the electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup.
Trevor Milton resigned from Nikola in September amid allegations of fraud. At the time, Milton said he would defend himself against accusations that the company made false claims about its vehicles, allegations Nikola rejects.
In an indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors charged Milton with two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud.
He was accused in the indictment of making false and misleading statements through social media and television, print and podcast interviews about the company’s product and technology development.
The indictment said the claims were deceptive, false and misleading. A message seeking comment was left with his lawyer.
Milton was scheduled to make an initial court appearance in the afternoon.
Shares of Nikola Corp. tumbled 7% before the opening bell Thursday.
Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.
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