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PharmaBro Shkreli forced to hand over Wu-Tang album

After asking for leniency and admitting he was a fool, Martin Shkreli will have to forfeit just about everything he has, including his only-one-in-existence copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”

Let’s rewind a little: Shkreli, 34, earned his millions in hedge funds and pharmaceuticals. He’s the guy who spiked the price of a life-saving drug by more than 500% and shrugged off claims of being heartless.

He’s also the guy who sat before Congress with a smug expression on his incredibly punchable face when asked about such price increases – the drug in question went from $13.50 to $750 and was, in some cases, the only treatment method for certain conditions.

But his true infamy is being the sole owner of Wu-Tang’s mythical album, of which one copy was made and of which only one copy will ever be printed.

He spent $2 million for the album and has not only threatened to destroy it, but also to post it online and, in the process, found himself in the dumbest YouTube fight with some members of the collective. He’s even got other dude-bros in face-concealing bandannas backing him up. (Are you scared yet? zzzzzzz)

Shkreli also made threats against Hillary Clinton while out on bail. Par for the dude-bro course.

Perhaps the best description of Shkreli comes from Gizmodo: “Martin Shkreli, the damp stack of Saltines who positioned himself into brief fame as the most hated man in America…”

Want a laugh? Check out what the potential jurors in this case had to say about him and you’ll get an idea why it took a while to get 12 people to hear the case.

Ok, the crime at hand: Shkreli was convicted last August of cheating investors in two failed hedge funds and could still be looking at up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced March 9, according to ABC News.

In a letter to the judge in this case, Shkreli wrote that he has “learned a harsh lesson. The trial and six months in a maximum security prison has been a frightening wake-up call. I now understand I need to change…. If you find it appropriate to impose a sentence that does not include an extended period of incarceration, I will do my absolute best to use my skills and whatever talents I have been blessed with for the betterment of humanity.”

In addition to the album – no idea what will happen to that, at least not yet but we’ll keep an eye on it – Shkreli must also turn over $5 million in cash in a brokerage account; his stake in Vyera Pharmaceuticals, a copy of Lil’ Wayne’s “The Carter V” and a Picasso painting, CNBC reports.

Amber Healy

I write about music policy and lawsuits because they're endlessly fascinating.

Amber Healy has 519 posts and counting. See all posts by Amber Healy

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