Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon became linked to the Trump administration last month when he married Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and a former U.S. attorney. Before that, he had established himself as a prominent business figure in Africa and Venezuela.
Habba, 42, and Mildon, 29, married in New York in a lavish ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. They were first seen together publicly at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
In an interview with Forbes Turkey, published as part of the magazine’s October cover story, Mildon said he met Habba through a mutual friend who had previously worked in the Trump administration.
Mildon is a wealthy businessman who currently heads Miller Holding, a Turkish investment company founded by his grandfather in 1967, according to Forbes.
Through Miller Holding and its numerous affiliated companies, Mildon has led a range of investment projects across different industries, including construction and cement production. He has become particularly prominent as an investor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Venezuela.
Cryptocurrency, the Congo and Venezuela
Mildon told Forbes Turkey that he had earned six-figure sums trading cryptocurrency since his teenage years.
His rise in the business world began in 2021 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he entered the market with a $150 million project to build a financial centre in the capital, Kinshasa.
His company initially secured financing for the project. Mildon invested $30 million from his personal wealth, which the state later reimbursed to his company.
He subsequently led various construction projects in the Congo through his construction company, Milvest. These included infrastructure for a military base dedicated to drones.
Mildon said he also had projects in the pipeline in other emerging markets, including Senegal, Ghana and Liberia.
He later expanded into Venezuela through friends with connections to the government. He entered the cement business to avoid other economic sectors exposed to strict sanctions.
His company, Vencement, manages cement production in Venezuela, although the factories are state-owned.
Mildon is also involved in the coffee trade in the country. Vencement and the Venezuelan government are jointly developing a shrimp-farming business.
According to reports, the previous owner of the company involved in this activity was suspected of participating in a failed coup attempt aimed at ousting Nicolás Maduro.
In addition to these activities, Mildon oversees various mining operations. Through his private equity fund, he has invested approximately $160 million in acquiring various companies.
Controversies surrounding his businesses
Mildon’s business activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Venezuela have attracted public scrutiny and criticism.
Over the years, Forbes Turkey and Middle East Eye have reported various allegations, including claims that his company improperly benefited from customs-duty exemptions, had outstanding financial obligations and worked with Venezuelan officials subject to U.S. sanctions.
Mildon has generally denied allegations of wrongdoing. He told Forbes Turkey that complaints about delayed or improperly made payments were a common feature of large business transactions.
Criticism has also focused on his ties to Congolese Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi.
The country’s financial institutions had accused Kazadi of failing to meet obligations related to financing Mildon’s financial-centre project. Mildon has denied any irregularities.
Kazadi was also accused of misappropriating public funds in connection with infrastructure projects, but was later cleared of the allegations. He, too, denied wrongdoing.
According to Forbes Turkey, Mildon had a close relationship with Kazadi, who is credited with helping introduce the businessman to the Congolese market.
When Kazadi faced the embezzlement allegations, he left the country aboard Mildon’s private plane. The businessman said he made his aircraft available to any government minister who requested it.
The outlet Africa Intelligence also reported that Mildon had encountered problems involving the Congolese state-owned mining company Sokimo. According to the reports, Sokimo accused the businessman’s mining company of failing to meet its contractual obligations.
Mildon dismissed the allegations as “completely false news.”
Who is Alina Habba?
Alina Habba rose to prominence in 2021 when she joined Donald Trump’s legal team. Before that, she was primarily known for representing the owner of a parking garage.
At the time, Trump was no longer president of the United States.
Habba represented him in several high-profile legal cases, including a civil financial-fraud case involving Trump and his company, as well as a separate lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump and his legal team did not prevail in either case.
Although Habba became a trusted Trump ally and frequently defended him in the media, she also faced difficulties in court. The judge overseeing Carroll’s case criticised her several times for basic legal errors.
Habba and Trump were jointly fined $1 million in a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. The judge described the lawsuit as “completely frivolous, both factually and legally.”
Despite the controversies, Habba initially joined Trump’s second administration as a counsellor. In March 2025, the president appointed her as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey, even though she had no experience prosecuting criminal cases.
During her tenure, Habba sparked numerous controversies, particularly over her office’s decisions to bring charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Democratic Representative Monica McIver.
The cases were connected to incidents at a federal immigration detention facility in New Jersey.
Habba resigned in December following a dispute over the legality of her continued tenure. A court refused to extend her appointment, but then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi kept her in the position.
Two courts subsequently ruled that Habba’s continued service in the role was unlawful, prompting her to step down.
Turhan Mildon is Habba’s third husband. She was previously married to attorney Matthew Eyet and parking-garage owner Greg Ruben. Habba has two children.
