Martin Shkreli has been biding his time in a prison cell in Fort Dix, New Jersey — just about 90 minutes south of Manhattan — since being sentenced to seven years in prison on conspiracy and securities-fraud convictions back in March of 2018. But that doesn’t mean he’s not making the most of his time.
According to a new report by the Wall Street Journal, Shkreli has been secretly running his business at Phoenixus AG (formerly known as Turing Pharmaceuticals) from behind bars using a contraband smartphone. Or at least he was, anyway — before this was made public knowledge when the story came out on Thursday. Likewise, he was also tweeting from a secret Twitter account that was shut down earlier this week when discovered.
Shkreli is hoping to emerge from prison in 2023 a wealthier man than when he entered, but some of the more fascinating aspects of the piece involve what prison is like for quite possibly the most universally reviled man in America. Apparently he sees a prison therapist, takes care of the prison’s cats, and occasionally argues with his cellmates about proper grammar — the latter of which seems very on brand for him. And speaking of on brand, here is this little excerpt which reveals Shkreli’s prison nickname:
He has made prison friends, including “Krispy” and “D-Block,” some of whom affectionately call him “Asshole,” according to people familiar with his new life. They walk alongside him in the hall to ward off shenanigans from other inmates. For reputational reasons they persuaded him to turn down a gig playing guitar in a prison band because the other members were locked up for child molestation.
Oh, Martin … knowing better than to join a child molester band seems like Prison 101, so clearly he still has a ways to go. At any rate, after the story came out, Shkreli’s name began trending on Twitter for the first time in about a year, as people still seem to be fascinated with him.
This story is bananas https://t.co/yodBEYezw2
— erica orden (@eorden) March 7, 2019
God, this story: "He has seen a prison therapist and taken on the job of caring for prison cats. He occasionally argues with his cellmates about proper grammar." https://t.co/9yGXTYU7Pw
— Shira Ovide (@ShiraOvide) March 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/popcultureism/status/1103692912355872769
This @wsj story on Martin Shkreli leaves me at a loss for words. Even behind bars, he’s breaking every law in sight.
Conducting business on a contraband cell phone, hiring and firing board members and even cheating his Twitter ban to lob insults at @AOC.https://t.co/OTFA3Ql1BB
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) March 7, 2019
Like Elon Musk, the full power of the federal government has tried to stop Martin Shkreli from posting. But the joke's on them: HE WILL NEVER STOP POSTING https://t.co/iusA78iwp3 pic.twitter.com/DDO3COEzKS
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) March 7, 2019
As if you need incentive to read about how Martin Shkreli is faring in prison (spoiler: just fine). Great story by @realrobcopeland and @bradleyhope https://t.co/nEisZXjLh9 pic.twitter.com/kzhkS0kDFz
— Katherine Blunt (@KatherineBlunt) March 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/willsandercock/status/1103740371647979521
https://twitter.com/TMannWSJ/status/1103739430416850945
https://twitter.com/ManInTheHoody/status/1103695416191639552
Not sure if Martin Shkreli's claim of 15 pushups in a row is supposed to be a brag or a lament. 🤔 https://t.co/Vw1PDwc3T5
— Jess Phoenix, Lava Connoisseur 🌋 (@jessphoenix2018) March 7, 2019
every detail of this shkreli in prison story is amazinghttps://t.co/t1JQEqPpXr pic.twitter.com/OQeDNySNFs
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) March 7, 2019
This Shkreli article is absolutely incredible.https://t.co/iVPQJAA2kd pic.twitter.com/vBh0Flljl1
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) March 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/justinjm1/status/1103705812617359360
Whether or not Shkreli sees any repercussions from his inside business dealings coming to light remains to be seen, but maybe he shouldn’t bank on 2023 just yet.
(Via Wall Street Journal)