Economy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Milton

"In September 2020, Aubrey Ferrin Smith, Milton's cousin, accused him of sexually assaulting her at their grandfather’s funeral in 1999, when she was 15 and he was 18.[43] The Wall Street Journal later confirmed several details of the accusation, including that Smith was, indeed, Milton's cousin and that Smith had told family members about the incident months after it had allegedly occurred. Family members also told the Wall Street Journal that religious authorities were notified, but no charges were filed.[44][45][46][47] CNBC later confirmed that Smith had filed a formal complaint with the local police in Holladay, Utah where the alleged assault took place. CNBC additionally confirmed that in 2017 when the #MeToo movement was taking place, Smith published an account of the assault on Facebook without identifying Milton by name.[48] In their reports regarding the sexual assault allegation against Milton, both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal reported Milton's age at the time of the alleged sexual assault against his cousin as actually 17, not 18, which could make the allegation into a misdemeanor instead of a felony.[49][50][51]

On September 28, 2020, CNBC reported that a second anonymous woman had come forward claiming that she had been assaulted by Milton. She later agreed to be identified by her first name, Allison.[52] The alleged incident is said to have occurred in 2004 when the alleged victim was 15 and Milton was 22. The alleged assault was reported as being investigated by the local police, although it is unclear if that ever happened.[53] Milton reportedly bragged to his then-friend and roommate - the two had a falling out shortly thereafter - that he "took her virginity in the theater room" and "I like young girls and I like virgins because they are naïve."[54][48] A local Utah television station reported in 2022 that at least three women had accused Milton of sexual assault - the two mentioned above, as well as a third which allegedly occurred during a modeling trip. All three accusations are beyond the statute of limitations.[55]

Milton has denied the allegations, saying through a spokesperson, “At no point in his life has Mr. Milton ever engaged in any inappropriate physical contact with anyone."[56] On October 5, 2020, Milton sued Utah businessman David Bateman in Utah Federal District Court for defamation per se for publishing allegations against Milton, including that he was involved in sex trafficking and has assaulted numerous unnamed women.[57] "