“Trevor Milton is a con man.”

With these phrases, the U.S. launched its closing assertion in Milton’s trial on Thursday, as the federal government labored to seal its case towards the Nikola Corp. founder it claims defrauded buyers with breathless hype concerning the electrical truck maker.

“He lied on Twitter, he lied on podcasts, he lied on TV interviews, he lied to Peter Hicks instantly,” Assistant U.S. Lawyer Jordan Estes instructed the federal jury in Manhattan, referring to an actual property investor who accepted hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in Nikola inventory choices as partial cost for a ranch. “Lie after lie after lie. His lies could have been on social media, however make no mistake, this was an old style fraud.”

Estes instructed the jury Milton’s lies had been unfold throughout clear classes: Nikola’s progress in hydrogen gas, the standing of the corporate’s Badger pickup, the performance of its debut semi truck, the state of its order e book and what he instructed the actual property investor.

Milton, 40, was upbeat as he arrived at courtroom in a navy swimsuit and took a seat together with his attorneys. There have been at the least two dozen folks within the courtroom, with Milton’s household and buddies packing the primary two rows behind the protection desk.

Milton is charged with two counts of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud, in a case that comes because the Justice Division works to crack down on company crime. He faces the potential for years in jail if convicted. Prosecutors argue that he enticed particular person buyers to purchase Nikola shares by making false statements concerning the firm’s merchandise and capabilities in quite a few interviews on podcasts and TV.

Milton’s attorneys name the case a “prosecution by distortion,” contending that their consumer by no means meant to deceive potential buyers and that, in any case, his statements weren’t materials, or essential sufficient to affect these buyers’ choices.