'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli's outspokenness has finally caught up with him and today he was sent to jail for a Facebook post in which he announced a bounty for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair. This is a particularly ironic turn of events since the sentencing for his security fraud conviction is going to take place early next year and he already finds himself in jail. Shkreli was sent to prison straight to prison right after the judge had convicted him.
Shkreli's fatal misstep
It all started with a Facebook post (which has since been deleted) in which Martin Shkreli announced that he would be willing to pay $5000 for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair for some obscure reason.
However, what he did not realize when he published his Facebook was the fact that he had violated a long standing Federal law pertaining to threats against former presidents and their family members. That is exactly what the prosecutors cited during the trial. It is also necessary to point out the following the Shkreli's infamous Facebook post, the secret service had to bulk up Clinton's security apparatus.
Shkreli's application for bail was rejected yesterday and today he was sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto. During the trial, the judge stated that the defendant was completely unaware of the fact that his Facebook post was inappropriate and hence, he represents a danger to the larger community.
Following that announcement, the verdict and sentencing were a foregone conclusion.
Jail for Shkreli
Although Shkreli looked on impassively while the sentencing was being announced, it cannot be denied that this is a crushing blow for the self-proclaimed 'pharma bro'. Benjamin Brafman, who represented Shkreli in court, stated that he was disappointed with the verdict and went on to state that the judge had 'arrived at the wrong decision'.
The 'pharma bro' is going to be taken to a federal prison located in the Sunset Park area in Brooklyn and it is interesting to note that, that particular prison had earlier been used to house terrorists.
However, the judge Matsumoto summed up the situation perfectly when she got a bit upset at one point during the proceedings in court.
She said, “He’s soliciting an assault on another person in exchange for $5,000. Under the facts and circumstances, I’m going to respectfully deny your request to change my mind. I can’t say with any certainty that the threats have not been taken seriously by anybody.”
