‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli Jailed for Post Seeking Hillary Clinton’s Hair
Former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli, who’s also known as “Pharma Bro” and is awaiting sentencing on three of eight counts of securities fraud, was sent to jail on Wednesday following a Facebook post he made that a Federal judge found was a threat to the community, The New York Times reports. In the since-deleted post, Shkreli allegedly offered $5000 to anyone who would “grab a hair” from Hillary Clinton.
Shkreli edited the post that was originally written on September 4th, claiming it was satirical and later took it down after he was contacted by the Secret Service, according to New York Post. “On HRC’s book tour, try and grab a hair from her,” he wrote, as the Post reports. “I must confirm the sequences I have. Will pay $5000 per hair obtained from Hillary Clinton.”
In a filing last week, prosecutors cited Shkreli’s since-deleted post and wrote “there is a significant risk that one of his many social media followers or others who learn of his offers through the media will take his statements seriously – as has happened previously – and act on them.”
Federal judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto agreed that Shkreli presented a threat to the community and ordered that he be jailed. “There has been a danger presented through this post,” the judge said during the hearing in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
In August, Shkreli was found guilty on three of eight counts of security fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A jury found that the former CEO cheated investors out of more than $11 million between 2009 and 2014 in a “Ponzi-like scheme.” Prior to Wednesday’s ruling, Shkreli was free on a $5 million bail as he awaited sentencing. During Wednesday’s hearing, he was scheduled to be sentenced in January.