The Department of Justice has labeled Martin Shkreli a 'danger to the community'
The Department of Justice has filed a motion against "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, calling him a "danger to the community" after he offered $5,000 to anyone who managed to steal hair from Hillary Clinton while she is on tour for her new memoir, LawNewz reports. Shkreli, 34, claimed he needed the hair to "confirm the sequences I have" and said the payment would come "after the sequence matches."
The DOJ's motion argued Shkreli's bail should be revoked: "Shkreli's latest threat is concerning not only because it has required a significant expenditure of resources by the United States Secret Service, which is charged with protecting Secretary Clinton, but also because there is a significant risk that one of his many social media followers or others who learn of his offers through the media will take his statements seriously — as has happened previously — and act on them," the federal prosecutors wrote.
On Thursday night, Shkreli responded on Facebook: "Hillary Clinton's presumptive agents are hard at work," he wrote. "It was just a prank, bro! But still, lock HER up. Spend your resources investigating her, not me!!"
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The former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in August. He faces up to 20 years in prison, and has been free on a $5 million bond since his initial arrest in December 2015.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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