Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Former pharmaceutical exec Martin Shkreli released from prison

Martin Shkreli
Share
NEW YORK -

Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical executive known for raising the price of a lifesaving drug more than 40-fold, has been released from prison, where he had been serving a seven-year term for fraud.

The early release of the 39-year-old Shkreli from a low security prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania was confirmed on Wednesday by the prison and by Benjamin Brafman, who represented Shkreli at his 2017 criminal trial.

"Martin Shkreli has been released from Allenwood prison and transferred to a BOP halfway house after completing all programs that allowed for his prison sentence to be shortened," Brafman said in a statement, referring to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Shkreli is eligible to be released completely from federal custody on Sept. 14. His confinement is now overseen by a New York office that helps prisoners reenter society.

Speculation about Shkreli's whereabouts grew on Wednesday after photos appeared on Twitter of an older-looking man who resembled him, accompanied by a man wearing a "Free Shkreli" t-shirt.

Shkreli became known as "pharma bro" after raising the price of the anti-parisitic drug Daraprim to US$750 per tablet from US$17.50 in 2015, and appearing unapologetic when criticized.

He was convicted in August 2017 of defrauding investors in two hedge funds he ran, and scheming to defraud investors in drugmaker Retrophin Inc, where he had been chief executive.

Last July, the government sold a one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" that Shkreli bought at auction for US$2 million, to help pay off US$7.36 million he was ordered to forfeit because of his conviction.

In January, a Manhattan judge banned Shkreli from the drug industry for life and ordered him to pay US$64.6 million for trying to keep generic Daraprim rivals off the market.

The following month, the Brooklyn judge who oversaw Shkreli's criminal trial permanently banned him from serving as an officer or director of public companies.

Brafman said he has "encouraged Mr. Shkreli to make no further statement."

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.

Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.

A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.

The day after a minivan was set ablaze outside Vancouver City Hall, a 78-year-old man has been criminally charged.

Local Spotlight

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.

A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.