Last month it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that reviled pharma-bro Martin Shkreli had been covertly running his company, Phoenixus AG (formerly known as Turing Pharmaceuticals), from behind bars using a contraband smartphone. Shkreli, who is currently serving out a seven year prison sentence on conspiracy and securities-fraud convictions at the Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix, New Jersey, had apparently also been tweeting from a secret Twitter account until that had been discovered.
It would seem as if the Wall Street Journal report tipped off the fuzz however, and as a result he’s been since thrown into solitary confinement, according to Forbes. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons wouldn’t confirm whether or not Shkreli had been placed in solitary, but did admit that the issues raised in the article were “under investigation.” Shkreli’s lawyer likewise declined to comment:
One source close to Shkreli’s legal team said the fraudster was in the special housing unit (SHU) a week and a half after the article was published on March 7, but the source had not received an update on his status. But according to Justin Liverman, a fellow inmate and ex-member of notorious hacker crew Crackas With Attitude, Shkreli was indeed put in solitary and was still there as of Sunday. “Martin is in the SHU,” Liverman told Forbes.
Ouch. So much for Shkreli’s alleged plan to leave prison even wealthier than when he entered. And not surprisingly, many people couldn’t dredge up much sympathy for the guy who jacked up the cost of a pill for HIV/AIDS patients from $13.50 to $750.
https://twitter.com/LukeLofgren/status/1112828221261840385
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1112865912854663169
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already,
Martin Shkreli
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready https://t.co/umjysBrO6V— kevinbiegel (@kbiegel) April 1, 2019
Me: Solitary confinement is cruel & unusual punishment!
News: "Martin Shkreli in solitary confinement for running his company from prison using a contraband cell phone"
Also me: Good!
— Pieces Energy (@MercurialMiss) April 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/Marmel/status/1112845188588687360
https://twitter.com/bicknaker/status/1113043085133574144
Good, and considering he broke prison rules, they ought to add a few more years of confinement as well… He's done nothing but thumb his nose at everybody because he's rich and above the law… https://t.co/TnKy9svMdB
— Mark Schwebke (@MarkSchwebke) April 1, 2019
Yet, a few people made the argument that even Shkreli, of all people, doesn’t deserve solitary confinement, as it’s basically tantamount to torture:
https://twitter.com/alexisgoldstein/status/1112836614462562310
We shouldn’t celebrate or make light of solitary confinement for Martin Shkreli or anybody else. It’s an immoral, barbaric, cruel & unusual practice. It is torture w/ long lasting, debilitating mental health consequences. And solitary for one means solitary is available for all.
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) April 2, 2019
I’m still against solitary despite Martin Shkreli being in it
— Legendary demi-hottie Li’l 🌳 (@karengeier) April 2, 2019
Cruel or not, Shkreli clearly thinks himself untouchable so perhaps this will give him pause next time he considers running illegal operations from a prison cell.
(Via Forbes)