People's Hatred for Martin Shkreli Is Slowing Down His Fraud Trial

Jury selection for Martin Shkrel's fraud trail isn't going that smoothly.

Ex pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli leaves with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman
Getty

Ex-pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli leaves with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman

Ex pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli leaves with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman

Finding an impartial jury for Martin Shkreli’s fraud trial has proven to be a difficult task. Why? Because it seems most people already hate his guts.

According to the Associated Press, jury selection is expected to enter its third day this week, after many potential jurors expressed their negative opinions about the Pharma Bro. As most of you know, Shkreli, a 34-year-old pharmaceutical CEO, made national headlines after inflating the price of life-saving medications by more than 5,000 percent. He is now on trial at the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, facing charges of securities and wire fraud. Prosecutors are accusing Shkreli of conducting a Ponzi-like scheme at his former hedge funds as well as Retrophina, a drug company he founded. Shrekli has denied the allegations; but it seems most people could care less about his plea.

The dude has become known as the “most hated man in America,” and defense lawyers claim his negative news coverage is hindering the court process. Potential jurors stood in front of Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto and expressed their feelings toward the Pharma Bro. And let’s just say they didn’t hold back.

“This is the price gouger of drugs,” one man said in court, according to the New York Times. “My kids are on some of these drugs. This impacts my kids.”

Another man called Shkreli “the face of corporate greed in America.”

And people who had never heard of Shkreli also had harsh words: “I looked right at him, and in my head, I said, ‘That’s a snake’—not knowing who he was,” a woman said.

Another expressed his problem with Shkreli’s history of Twitter trolling: “I’ve seen some of the defamatory comments he’s made on that platform.” Shkreli’s lawyer Benjamin Brafman echoed that sentiment, reportedly telling the sidebar, “Unfortunately, the Twitter history is just horrific.”

Another batch of potential jurors will likely be interviewed on Wednesday. Hopefully the attorneys have better luck. 

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