Trevor Milton Sues FBI Agent and Paul Lackey Over Witness Interference

The civil rights action, filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(2) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, targets Christopher S. Essick, an agent in the FBI's New York Field Office, and Paul Lackey. Milton claims the defendants operated online personas—including @lfxs1212 and @InsiderNikola—to harass potential witnesses, specifically citing former Nikola Vice President Jason Roycht. According to the filing, this pressure campaign included public demands for Roycht’s indictment and the exposure of his private accounts, which reportedly led him to cut ties with Milton’s defense team.

Beyond the intimidation allegations, the suit asserts that Essick traded Nikola stock while leveraging his position within the bureau. This legal move follows Milton’s March 2025 full presidential pardon, which cleared him of convictions stemming from the earlier United States v. Milton case in the Southern District of New York. Counsel for the plaintiff, Robert S. Frenchman of Dynamis LLP, is now coordinating media availability to address these claims of obstruction and witness tampering.