‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli Released from Prison Early

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

Martin Shkreli, the former hedge fund and pharmaceutical executive who in March 2018 was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, was released early on Wednesday.

Shkreli, also known as “pharma bro,” was released from a Pennsylvania prison to a halfway house in New York state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The former pharmaceutical executive is projected to be released from the halfway house in September.

“I am pleased to report that 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,” Shkreli’s attorney, Ben Brafman, reportedly said in a statement.

“While in the halfway house I have encouraged Mr. Shkreli to make no further statement, nor will he or I have any additional comments at this time,” Brafman added.

Following his release from prison, Pharma Bro did, however, take to Facebook, where he quipped, “Getting out of real prison is easier than getting out of Twitter prison.”

Shkreli was banned from Twitter in 2017 after he asked female writer Lauren Duca — who was one of his vocal critics — if she would be his plus one to the 2017 inauguration for President Donald Trump.

Shkreli was also jailed in September 2017 for making a satirical Facebook post offering $5,000 to anyone who could get him a lock of Hillary Clinton’s hair.

The 39-year-old, who was once dubbed “the most hated man in America,” became infamous after raising the price of toxoplasmosis drug Daraprim by over 5,000 percent. In 2016, Shkreli auctioned off an opportunity for someone to punch or slap him in the face.

Shkreli was originally sentenced on March 9, 2018 to seven years in prison in a fraud case unrelated to the Daraprim matter.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

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