Pharma

Breaking: Martin Shkreli’s Clinton threat lands him in jail

A judge has revoked bail for the pharma bro, who is waiting to be sentenced for securities fraud, over comments he made on Facebook offering a $5,000 bounty for samples of hair from former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Lead defense attorney Benjamin Brafman (left) walks with former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli after the jury issued a verdict at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, August 4 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Martin Shkreli, the infamous former pharma executive and hedge fund manager found guilty of securities fraud last month, is headed back to jail. A judge has revoked bail for the pharma bro over comments he made on Facebook offering a $5,000 bounty for samples of hair from former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to media reports.

Shkreli later backed off his comments in a letter apologizing for the post and said he hadn’t intended for his comments about Clinton to be read as threatening.

“I used poor judgment but never intended to cause alarm or promote any act of violence whatsoever,” Shkreli wrote.

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto wasn’t convinced, apparently, and ordered Shkreli to be jailed after prosecutors said his threats created a risk of danger to the community, a Bloomberg article noted. Shkreli’s Clinton comments spurred an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, according to the story.

Although a date has not yet been set for sentencing, Shkreli’s three fraud guilty verdicts could reportedly still deliver a sentence of up to 20 years in jail, depending on U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto’s evaluation.

Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images

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