Nikola co-founder-jurors have biased attitude towards rich
2022.12.15 13:50
Nikola co-founder-jurors have biased attitude towards rich
Budrigannews.com – Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Corp., asked a judge in New York to overturn his conviction on Thursday for defrauding investors in the electric vehicle company. Milton claimed that a juror who decided the case had hidden her bias against the wealthy.
In court papers, Milton informed U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that the jurors’ Twitter and Facebook (NASDAQ:) Despite the fact that she denied using social media during jury selection, pages were “riddled with attacks on wealthy executives.”
At a trial in October, a federal jury in Manhattan found Milton guilty. Prosecutors said Milton, 40, made a billion dollars by lying to investors about the technology of the electric and hydrogen-powered truck manufacturer beginning in November 2019.
Milton was accused by the prosecution of making false and misleading claims, including that Nikola constructed an electric and hydrogen-powered “Badger” pickup truck “from the ground up,” through interviews on television, in print, and through social media.
At preliminary, Milton was sentenced on one count of protections misrepresentation and two counts of wire extortion. On an additional count of securities fraud, he was found not guilty.
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Milton stated in court documents on Thursday that one juror had stated that she did not use social media and got her news from YouTube during jury selection.
However, Milton claimed that a review of her social media accounts showed that she had posted about income inequality and that she had read a lot of news.
Three phrases: tax the rich,” read one post that, according to court papers, compared the 12-figure fortunes of Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos to the minimum wage in the United States.
Milton wrote that if the judge does not grant a new trial, he should hold a hearing to determine whether the juror lied in court.
Milton also requested acquittal from the judge on the investor-related wire fraud charge, claiming that prosecutors had not proven their case.
