Fresh Out of Prison, Pharma Bro Is Not Following His Lawyer’s Advice
Instead of keeping a low profile, Martin Shkreli has been livestreaming his research into pharmaceuticals, possibly defying a court order.
Martin Shkreli is back.
Recently released from prison, the “Pharma Bro” was spotted livestreaming about his research into pharmaceuticals. Shkreli gained notoriety while he was CEO of a drug company after jacking up the price of an antiparasitic, Daraprim, by 5,455 percent, to $750 a pill from $13.50. He was later ordered to pay back the profits made from that price hike.
That, however, was not what landed him in prison. Shkreli, was released from prison in May after serving five years for securities fraud related to his hedge funds and his drug company, Retrophin.
For his crimes, he was sentenced to serve seven years and to pay a total of more than $70 million in fines. He was released early for “completing all programs that allowed for his prison sentence to be shortened,” according to his lawyer.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons said Shkreli will be living in a halfway house until September, and while his attorney has encouraged him to keep a low profile, it appears that he just can’t help himself.
Shkreli has been livestreaming on YouTube and Twitch since at least July 7. His streams have included showing himself browsing other livestreams, such as one titled “Small Bikinis & Big Dreams,” researching stocks, and examining protein structures.
Most importantly, he has once again been looking into pharmaceuticals, such as treatments for sickle cell anemia, demonstrating disregard for a court order by Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York.
“An injunction shall issue banning him for life from participating in the pharmaceutical industry in any capacity,” Judge Cote wrote. “The risk of a recurrence here is real.”
It’s unclear whether Shkreli has technically participated in the pharmaceutical industry while streaming his activities researching drugs and stocks. Judge Cote’s injunction was clear, though, so technically she could seek to hold him to its terms.
What the final outcome of Shkreli’s livestreaming appearance on the Ice Poseidon Two network will be, it is too early to tell. It does appear that YouTube might not want anything to do with his stream: It unexpectedly quit on July 12, showing only a message that “video is unavailable.”
