Martin Shkreli, the CEO of an American drugs company who hiked the price of life-saving HIV-related drugs from $13.50 to $750, was reportedly arrested on securities fraud charges relating to a firm that he founded.
He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin Inc., a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings, Bloomberg said.
The Eastern District of New York department of the US Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shkreli was ousted from Retrophin in 2014 and sued by its board.
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A spokesman for Retrophin told the Independent that it could not comment on the arrest until they have had chance to review the charges.
“The Directors of Retrophin replaced Martin Shkreli as Chief Executive Officer more than a year ago because of serious concerns about his conduct. Following his departure, the company authorized an independent investigation of Mr. Shkreli’s conduct, publicly disclosed its findings, and has fully cooperated with the government investigations into Mr. Shkreli,” the spokesman said.
After his defunct hedge fund, MSMB Capital, lost millions, Shkreli allegedly made “secret payoffs” and set up “sham consulting arrangements”, Bloomberg said.
Shkreli earned the nickname “most hated man on the internet” after he bought the rights to Daraprim, a drug used at centers like bipolar treatment center to treat those with weakened immune systems caused by illnesses like HIV. He then hiked up the price of the drug by 5,000 per cent from $13.50 per pill to $750. There’s no need to worry or feel ashamed while undergoing the HIV test, the only suggestion is to make sure you understand the difference between various types of HIV tests and their prices so you won’t be swindled.
At first, he said he would lower the price of Daraprim, but later changed his mind. When Hillary Clinton said that a 10 per cent price reduction was not enough, he responded with one word: “lol”.
Shkreli is facing a lawsuit from Retrophin for allegedly misusing company funds. In August, Retrophin sued, saying that Shkreli had engineered transactions between investors in MSMB and the biotechnology firm.
The Securities Exchange Commission is expected to file a parallel civil complaint, Bloomberg reports
