Trevor Milton Biography: Net Worth, Wife, Appeal, Wikipedia, Release Date, Parents, Siblings

Trevor Robert Milton is an American entrepreneur and convicted felon, best known as the founder and former executive chairman of Nikola Corporation, a company dedicated to developing hydrogen and electric-powered commercial vehicles.

In September 2020, Milton stepped down from his position as executive chairman amidst investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding allegations of securities fraud.

Profile

• Full Name: Trevor Robert Milton
• Stage Name: Trevor Milton
• Born: April 6, 1982
• Age: 42 years old
• Birthplace: Layton, Utah, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: American entrepreneur and convicted felon
• Height: Unknown
• Parent: Bill Milton and Sally Milton
• Siblings: Travis Milton
• Spouse: Chelsey Bergmann (m. 2018)
• Children: Unknown
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: Unknown

Early Life And Education

Trevor Robert Milton was born on April 6, 1982, in Layton, Utah, United States. He is the son of William L. Milton, a manager at Union Pacific Railroad, and Sallie Gwyn Hunt Milton, a realtor. Trevor has one brother and three sisters. He attended Utah Valley University but chose to drop out after one semester to pursue a career in sales and marketing, though he later obtained a GED. Milton is of Caucasian descent and practices Christianity.

Career

Trevor Milton began his entrepreneurial journey after leaving college by founding St. George Security and Alarm, a company focused on alarm sales. After eventually exiting the alarm business, he shifted his focus to the emerging alternative energy sector and founded dHybrid, Inc. This company specialized in retrofitting commercial trucks with engines that ran on natural gas instead of diesel. However, disputes with investors led to the dissolution of dHybrid. In 2012, Milton launched dHybrid Systems, which focused on natural gas storage systems for heavy-duty trucks and was eventually acquired by Worthington Industries.

In 2015, Milton founded Nikola Motor Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, initially known as Bluegentech, with an initial investment of $2 million from Worthington Industries. Inspired by Nikola Tesla, Milton aimed to revolutionize the commercial trucking industry by developing hydrogen-electric and battery-electric semi-trucks as sustainable, zero-emission alternatives to traditional diesel-powered vehicles. The company was rebranded as Nikola Motor Company to align with this vision. Under Milton’s leadership, Nikola unveiled several prototype models, including the Nikola One, a hydrogen-electric semi-truck designed for long-haul transportation, and expanded its lineup to include regional and European market models, such as the Nikola Two and Nikola Tre. Milton also spearheaded plans to establish a nationwide hydrogen fueling station network in collaboration with Nel Hydrogen.

Nikola went public in 2020 through a reverse merger with VectoIQ, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which valued the company at approximately $12 billion. Following the merger, Milton became the executive chairman while Mark Russell assumed the CEO role. The company saw significant stock price increases, particularly after announcing a partnership with General Motors in September 2020. However, in the same month, Hindenburg Research released a report accusing Milton of making false statements and describing Nikola as a “fraud.” This led to investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) into allegations of securities fraud. Milton resigned as executive chairman, and in 2021, he was indicted on charges of securities and wire fraud. In October 2022, Milton was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud. In December 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison, a $1 million fine, and ordered to pay $168 million in restitution.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @trevor_milton
• Twitter handle: @nikolatrevor

Personal Life

Trevor Milton is married to Chelsey Bergmann, whom he wed in Wyoming in 2017. Milton has referred to his wedding as the “first biggest day” of his life. Bergmann is a former licensed esthetician, having held the title of “Master Esthetician” in Utah from January 2012 until her license expired in September 2019. It is not publicly known whether the couple has children.

Net Worth

Trevor Milton’s net worth has experienced significant fluctuations. It peaked at nearly $12 billion in June 2020 when Nikola Corporation went public, with Milton owning 40% of the company. However, by September 2020, his net worth had dropped to $5.5 billion. Forbes later estimated his worth at $3.1 billion, reflecting his 25% stake in Nikola, which was valued at around $12.4 billion. In April 2020, Forbes had listed his net worth at $1.1 billion.

Following Milton’s conviction in December 2023, his net worth was estimated at least $1 million as of February 2025. Additionally, it’s reported that he has sold $400 million worth of Nikola shares to date.