Notorious "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli made a sob-filled plea for leniency but ended up getting sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for federal fraud charges related to hedge funds and a drug company that he once ran. "The one person to blame for me being here today is me," a choked-up Shkreli told a judge before she imposed the prison term in Brooklyn, New York, federal court. "Not the government. There is no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli." "I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions." "This is my fault. I am no victim here," Shkreli said, before breaking down into tears as he promised not to let his lawyer Benjamin Brafman down in his efforts to contribute to society. "Do not feel bad for me," Shkreli told a packed courtroom that included supporters and family members, many of whom had written letters asking Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to spare him from a harsh sentence. And he had a message for the investors he duped: "I am terribly sorry I lost your trust. ... You deserve far better." "I was never motivated by money," Shkreli said. "I wanted to grow my stature and my reputation." "I am here because of my gross, stupid and negligent mistakes I made."

A courtroom sketch shows Martin Shkreli crying in court during his sentencing with his defense lawyer Ben Brafman on March 9, 2018. Elizabeth Williams | CNBC

The seven-year sentence — to which Shkreli listened impassively — was significantly higher than the 18-month maximum requested by defense lawyers. "He has the potential to do good," Brafman argued, citing Shkreli's intellectual brilliance and altruism toward others less fortunate than himself. "He shouldn't be sentenced simply for being Martin Shkreli." While Brafman did not get what he wanted, the sentence was also less than half the minimum 15-year term that prosecutors said they wanted Friday from Matsumoto. "We do believe the public needs to be protected from Mr. Shkreli," assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis told Matsumoto while arguing for that stiff term. "We do believe, your honor, that he is dangerous," Kasulis said. Matsumoto said she had struggled over what to give Shkreli as a sentence. In a lengthy lead-up to announcing her decision, the judge noted Shkreli's upbringing in a household that included an abusive father, his problems with panic attacks, his charitable contributions to individuals and groups, and his talent for picking stocks and for scientific research. But Matsumoto also detailed Shkreli's years-long series of sophisticated financial deceptions, his foul-mouthed boasts of having threatened to render a former employee and his family "homeless," and his emailed statements from prison saying he would do anything necessary to win a light prison term. She urged Shkreli to continue teaching inmates math, finance and other subjects, as he has in recent months. "I do wish you well, Mr. Shkreli," Matsumoto said. "Thank you very much, your honor," he responded. Shkreli, who will get credit for six months he has already spent in jail since shortly after his conviction, also was sentenced to three years of probation after his release and ordered to pay a $75,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal prison system, but Shkreli could be released after having served almost six years, due to credit for good conduct. The judge had already ordered Shkreli, who will turn 35 on March 17, to forfeit nearly $7.4 million to the federal government. And she ordered him to obtain mental health counseling while on probation. A psychological examination of Shkreli performed before his sentencing found that he suffered from generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and an unspecified personality disorder. Shkreli also had revealed that he was drinking seven to eight alcoholic beverages per day after he was indicted in the case in late 2015 to deal with his anxiety. He called that "toxic behavior," the judge noted. After his release into probation, Shkreli will be barred from holding a majority stake in a company, as well as an executive position or directorship of a company.

A courtroom sketch shows Martin Shkreli making a statement and weeping during his sentencing, while his defense lawyer Ben Brafman holds his head in his hands. Elizabeth Williams | CNBC

"I think it's hard to claim victory when someone like Martin Shkreli is going to jail, but if you are asking me, if it could have been a lot worse, absolutely," Brafman said outside of court. "The government didn't get what they wanted. We didn't get what we wanted, either," Brafman said. "This is a good judge who I think spent a great deal of time trying to examine the facts and all of the letters that were written on behalf of Mr. Shkreli and she made her decision and we all have to live with it." He also said, "Martin is fine." The three-hour sentencing hearing came 2½ years after Shkreli attracted widespread negative media attention for his decision to hike the price of a drug by 5,500 percent at Turing Pharmaceuticals, another company he founded. But Shkreli's sentencing was not connected to that pricing of the anti-parasite medication Daraprim. It also wasn't related to his social media trolling of adversaries, who have included Hillary Clinton, members of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and journalists. "I want to reiterate something that I've said since the beginning — this trial is not about his public persona, nor about his actions or statements about pricing of pharmaceuticals," Matsumoto said. "I will base my sentence on the conduct he was found guilty of."

A file photo of former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Getty Images

He was found guilty of misleading investors about key details and the dismal financial market performance of the MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare hedge funds that he operated. Shkreli also was convicted last August of conspiring to fraudulently manipulate stock shares of Retrophin, the pharma company he created after both hedge funds effectively collapsed. Evidence at trial revealed that Shkreli had used stock and cash from publicly traded Retrophin to pay back the duped hedge-fund investors, who all ended up getting more than they had originally invested. Witnesses at that trial also painted a picture of Shkreli as a complicated person who could inspire grand visions of lifesaving pharmaceutical treatments while also frustrating people with his habit of playing fast and loose with the facts. A number of those witnesses testified to Shkreli's brilliance, or even genius, as well as to his tendency toward depression and self-sabotage. Defense lawyers had asked Matsumoto in a court filing last week to give Shkreli a relatively light prison term of 12 to 18 months, followed by 2,000 hours of community service and mandatory therapy. They called Shkreli a "very unique defendant" who "is a kind, caring and generous person who uses his time and effort to help those in need." "If not warehoused in prison, Martin could literally save lives," Shkreli's lawyers wrote in their sentencing recommendation. But prosecutors had asked for at least 15 years in prison. They argued that Shkreli lacked "genuine remorse" for his crimes and had a pattern of deceptive schemes spanning even after the crimes for which he was convicted. They called Shkreli "a man who believes the ends always justifies the means." Federal sentencing guidelines had suggested a prison term of decades, in large part because of Matsumoto's finding that the losses from Shkreli's crimes totaled $10.4 million.

The judge refused to give him credit for the fact that his hedge-fund investors all ended up with more than they originally placed with him, noting that Shkreli only began his scheme to repay them with Retrophin's assets after investors began raising red flags that they had been defrauded. In addition to his prison term, Shkreli already had been ordered by the judge to secure the forfeiture award to give up his ownership of a $5 million stock account that had been used as collateral for a now-revoked release bond. She also told him to give up his ownership of a one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album that he bought for $2 million, a Picasso painting, a Lil Wayne album, and his stake in Vyera Pharmaceuticals, which previously was known as Turing. Shkreli has been locked up in a federal jail in Brooklyn since September, a month after his conviction, when Matsumoto revoked his $5 million release bond. Matsumoto's move came after Shkreli, in yet another social media stunt, offered his Facebook followers a $5,000 bounty for samples of Clinton's hair. The offer, which Shkreli claimed was satire, drew the attention of the Secret Service, which provides protection for Clinton, and drew the ire of prosecutors. Matsumoto said Shkreli represented a danger because of his bounty offer. In a letter sent to the judge in advance of his sentencing asking for a light prison term, Shkreli wrote, "I was a fool," and called himself "far from blameless." "I accept the fact that I made serious mistakes, but I still believe that I am a good person with much potential," Shkreli wrote from jail. "The trial and the six months in a maximum security prison has been a frightening wake-up call," Shkreli wrote. "I understand how I need to change." Shkreli plans to appeal his conviction. — Additional reporting by Ashley Turner. See how Martin Shkreli, the "pharma bro," got to today's sentencing TONIGHT on American Greed at 10 p.m. ET.

WATCH: Co-worker says Shkreli 'mentally unstable'</s>Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical executive who has been publicly excoriated for sharply increasing the price of a lifesaving HIV drug and derisively referred to as the "Pharma Bro," was sentenced on Friday to seven years in prison for defrauding investors in two failed hedge funds and a drug company he once ran.

It's less than half of the 15 years prosecutors were seeking, but it far exceeds the minimum 18-month sentence Shkreli's attorneys were hoping to secure for their client, whose 35th birthday is later this month.

Shkreli was found guilty on two counts of securities fraud for duping hedge fund investors in MSMB Capital Management and MSMB Healthcare about the financial performance of the two companies that he operated. And he was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud for manipulating stock shares of Retrophin, a pharmaceutical company he created.

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto also ruled Monday that Shkreli must forfeit the money he made from his fraud — nearly $7.4 million — and pay a $75,000 fine. And, as NPR's Colin Dwyer reported, if Shkreli can't come up with the funds to pay back the government, he'll have to hand over a few prized possessions, including a one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album and a Picasso painting.

Shkreli, who has often appeared defiant both in the courtroom and in interviews, made a sob-filled plea for leniency during the 2 1/2-hour proceedings leading up to Matsumoto's decision, according to CNBC.

" 'The one person to blame for me being here today is me,' a choked-up Shkreli told a judge before she imposed the prison term. 'Not the government. There is no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli.' " 'I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions.' " 'This is my fault. I am no victim here,' Shkreli said, before breaking down into tears as he promised not to let his lawyer Benjamin Brafman down in his efforts to contribute to society. " 'Do not feel bad for me,' Shkreli told a packed courtroom that included many of his supporters and family members. "And he had a message for the investors he duped: 'I am terribly sorry I lost your trust ... You deserve far better.' "

Shkreli emerged as a public villain in 2015 after raising the price of Daraprim by more than 5,000 percent, from $13.50 to $750 per pill as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. A later offer to pay $5,000 for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair — follicle included — after his conviction when he was out on bail, did nothing to rehabilitate his image. In fact, Matsumoto sent him back to jail for the stunt that Shkreli later claimed was a joke.

In a letter to the judge dated Feb. 26, Shkreli wrote:

Shkreli has been held in a federal prison in Brooklyn, N.Y., for six months. He said being behind bars is "both the most frightening experience of my life but also an opportunity for me to see a side of the world seldom seen or discussed."</s>“Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli Gets Seven Years for Securities Fraud

Outspoken former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli will serve seven years in prison, a sentence handed down Friday following securities fraud convictions related to two hedge funds and a drug company that he once ran.

The judge in the case said Shkreli will receive credit for time served since September, when his bail was revoked, Bloomberg reported. The average prison sentence for those convicted of securities and investment fraud in fiscal 2016, the most recent year available, was four years, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Shkreli is widely known as the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, the company that, in 2015, hiked the price of pyrimethamine (Daraprim) from $13.50 to $750 a pill. The price increase for the generic drug, which is used by HIV patients to ward off parasitic infections, won derision from patients, physicians, and many executives at other pharmaceutical companies. But Shkreli staunchly defended the price in his statements to the media and on his once vibrant Twitter account, cultivating a “pharma bro” persona that was brash and outspoken.

Friday’s sentencing is related to Shkreli’s behavior from 2009 to 2014—prior to his role at Turing. The government charged Shkreli with conspiracy for bilking investors in his hedge funds, MSMB Capital Management and MSMB Healthcare, as well as his former biotech company Retrophin. Last August, a jury found Shkreli guilty on three of eight counts of fraud. Two counts involve securities fraud and the third count was conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

Federal prosecutors sought a sentence of at least 15 years. But Shkreli’s attorneys had asked the judge for 12 to 15 months, pointing to his efforts to help patients by developing drugs that treat rare diseases, according to CNBC. Bloomberg reported that Shkreli wept as he addressed U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto during the sentencing hearing, and he asked for forgiveness from the investors he defrauded.

“I am terribly sorry I lost your trust,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “You deserved far better.”

Government attorneys said their sentencing recommendation was based on the conviction, the financial loss, and the repetition of the crimes. Prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis told Matsumoto that Shkreli’s behavior was “four different fraud schemes over five years,” according to Bloomberg.

In addition to serving time, Shkreli also owes money. Last week, Matsumoto ordered that Shkreli pay $7.36 million—an amount equal to what he made from his fraud. Shkreli can pay that amount with a check. But if he doesn’t have enough money, the court order says he can forfeit some of his assets, including $5 million in cash in an E*Trade brokerage account, albums by the Wu-Tang Clan and Lil Wayne, and a Picasso painting.</s>Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for defrauding investors out of more than $10 million.

Shkreli, who gained notoriety for inflating the price of a life-saving drug, had faced up to 20 years behind bars for mismanaging money at his hedge funds.

He was convicted on August 5, 2017 of securities fraud and conspiracy in what prosecutors said amounted to a Ponzi scheme. Shkreli called the charges “a witch hunt of epic proportions.”

During his sentencing on Friday in Brooklyn federal court, Shkreli, 34, broke into tears and pleaded with the judge for leniency.

“I look back and I’m embarrassed and ashamed,” he told the court. “I am terribly sorry,” he said to his investors, “I lost your trust.”

“There’s no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions.”

At his trial last year, Shkreli often wore a smirk and was chastised by the judge for his behavior, including for an incident in which he told reporters that the prosecutors on the case were “junior varsity.” He also ignored the advice of his lawyer by commenting on the trial via social media and YouTube.

Shkreli’s lawyer Ben Brafman, told reporters on Friday he thought the prison sentence was too severe.

“I’m disappointed that the sentence wasn’t less than seven years. But Martin’s fine and he will be fine,” he said.

Prosecutors said that between 2009 and 2014, Shkreli lied to investors at MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare about how well the funds were doing, and that while he was CEO of Retrophin, he used the pharmaceutical company as a piggy bank to pay off MSMB investors and to cover personal loans and other debts.

After his conviction, he was released on $5 million bail.

In September, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto revoked his bail after Shkreli took to social media to offer $5,000 to anyone would bring him a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair.

Earlier this week, Matsumoto ordered Shkreli to forfeit about $7.4 million in assets, including a one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Clan album. He was also ordered to hand over a Picasso, and an album called “Tha Carter V” by Lil Wayne.

His fraud conviction had nothing to do with the controversy that made him famous. While he was chief executive officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals in 2015, he jacked up the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim, a treatment for HIV patients, from $13.50 a pill to $750.

The price hike sparked a public backlash that landed him on Capitol Hill, testifying about drug prices. He sneered through the proceeding and pleaded the Fifth Amendment.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons will decide at which federal prison Shkreli will serve his sentence.</s>Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for defrauding investors out of more than $10 million.

Shkreli, who gained notoriety for inflating the price of a life-saving drug, had faced up to 45 years behind bars for mismanaging money at his hedge funds, according to the judge. He'll get six months credit for time served in a Brooklyn federal jail.

He was convicted on August 5, 2017 of securities fraud and conspiracy in what prosecutors said amounted to a Ponzi scheme. Shkreli called the charges "a witch hunt of epic proportions."

During his sentencing on Friday in Brooklyn federal court, Shkreli, 34, broke into tears and pleaded with the judge for leniency as she passed him a box of tissues.

"I look back and I'm embarrassed and ashamed," he told the court. "I am terribly sorry," he said to his investors, "I lost your trust."

"There's no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions."

He described the time he's spent in jail as a"heartbreaking experience."

At his trial last year, Shkreli often wore a smirk and was chastised by the judge for his behavior, including for an incident in which he told reporters that the prosecutors on the case were "junior varsity." He also ignored the advice of his lawyer by commenting on the trial via social media and YouTube.

Shkreli's lawyer Ben Brafman, told reporters on Friday he thought the prison sentence was too severe.

"I'm disappointed that the sentence wasn't less than seven years. But Martin's fine and he will be fine," he said.

Prior to the sentencing, Brafman defended his client as an eccentric and generous genius who's been teaching math to his fellow prisoners and who bought diapers for the girlfriend of a prisoner who just had babies. Brafman said that sometimes he wanted to give him a hug, but admitted that he could also be so aggravating "there are times when I want to punch him in the face."

Prosecutors painted a less flattering picture. "He doesn't think that he did anything wrong because he thinks he's different," said prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis during the sentencing. "He thinks he's better than everybody else and the rules don't apply to him."

Prosecutors said that between 2009 and 2014, Shkreli lied to investors at MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare about how well the funds were doing, and that while he was CEO of Retrophin, (RTRX) he used the pharmaceutical company as a piggy bank to pay off MSMB investors and to cover personal loans and other debts.

After his conviction, he was released on $5 million bail.

In September, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto revoked his bail after Shkreli took to social media to offer $5,000 to anyone would bring him a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair.

Earlier this week, Matsumoto ordered Shkreli to forfeit about $7.4 million in assets, including a one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Clan album. He was also ordered to hand over a Picasso, and an album called "Tha Carter V" by Lil Wayne. At the sentencing, the judge also fined him $75,000. His net worth is still about $20 million, after subtracting the forfeiture and the fine, and also the taxes and legal fees he owes.

His fraud conviction had nothing to do with the controversy that made him famous. While he was chief executive officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals in 2015, he jacked up the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim, a treatment for HIV patients, from $13.50 a pill to $750.

The price hike sparked a public backlash that landed him on Capitol Hill, testifying about drug prices. He sneered through the proceeding and pleaded the Fifth Amendment.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons will decide at which federal prison Shkreli will serve his sentence.</s>
• Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
• Best known for a 2015 price-gouging scandal involving a decades-old drug that his company acquired, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud during his time running a hedge fund.
• At the sentencing, Shkreli broke into tears, apologized to investors, and accepted responsibility for what he had done.

Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday heard from Shkreli, his lawyer, and the prosecution before determining a sentence based on his conviction on securities fraud.

The judge, Kiyo Matsumoto, said her decision did not have to do with Shkreli's reputation, track record with drug pricing, or politics. She spent a while going through the letters she received — against and in support — of Shkreli's character.

Shkreli had been facing as long as 20 years in prison.

Shkreli is best known for a 2015 price-gouging scandal involving a decades-old drug that his company acquired. As CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, he raised the price of Daraprim, a drug used to treat a parasitic infection, by more than 5,000%, earning him the nickname "pharma bro." The incident brought a lot of attention to the high costs of prescription drugs, an issue that still plagues the prescription-drug industry.

But Shkreli's sentence isn't related to that price hike; it stemmed from events earlier in his career while he managed a hedge fund. In August 2017, he was convicted of securities fraud during his time running a hedge fund. He's been jailed since September after he offered a $5,000 bounty for some of Hillary Clinton's hair.

At Friday's hearing, Shkreli's lawyer, Ben Brafman, made his case for a lighter sentence, expressing his frustration with some of the things Shkreli had said, saying there were times he wanted to "punch him in the face."

Shkreli also got to speak at the hearing, apologizing to investors and accepting responsibility for his actions, according to CNBC reporter Meg Tirrell.

"There is so much more I want to do, and I will do it, the right way," Shkreli said, while starting to break into tears.

On Monday, the judge ordered Shkreli to forfeit $7.36 million in assets, which could include Shkreli's $5 million E-Trade account, stake in the pharmaceutical company Vyera Pharmaceuticals (formerly Turing Pharmaceuticals), the Wu-Tang Clan album Shkreli purchased in 2015, a Lil Wayne album, an enigma machine, and a Picasso painting.</s>Disgraced pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli has been sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud.

In August of 2017, Shkreli was convicted on three of the eight charges brought against him by federal prosecutors, which included securities fraud and conspiracy to commit both securities fraud and wire fraud. Prosecutors accused Shkreli of taking stock from his biotechnology firm Retrophin and using it to pay off debts from unrelated business dealings.

Prior to sentence, Shrkeli sobbed and begged the judge for “your honor’s mercy,” according to ABC News. “The only person to blame for me being here is me,” he said. “There is no government conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions.”

Additionally, Shkreli has been ordered to forfeit more than $7.3 million in personal assets, including his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, which he purchased in 2015 for $2 million.

Shkreli first gained notoriety for his price-gouging of Daraprim, a drug used by AIDS and cancer patients. In 2015, Shkreli’s company raised the price of a single pill from $13.50 to $750. Rather than bow to public criticism, however, Shkreli seemingly embraced his role as a real-life villain. He used profits from Daraprim to purchase rare albums including Wu-Tang’s Once Upon a Time in Saolin and Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter 5. He also harassed female reporters who covered him and offered a $5,00 reward to the person who could grab a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair.

Despite these antics, Shkreli’s defense attorneys insisted that he was “a good person” who “cannot always control awkward, inappropriate behaviors.” Prosecutors said it was “absurd” to cast Shkreli as a misunderstood child genius. “He’s a man… [who] stole money for his own benefit,” the prosecutor said. “He’s no better than any other fraudster.”</s>NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shrkeli, the smirking “Pharma Bro” vilified for jacking up the price of a lifesaving drug, was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for defrauding investors in two failed hedge funds.

The self-promoting pharmaceutical executive notorious for trolling critics online was convicted in a securities fraud case last year unconnected to the price increase dispute.

Shkreli, his cocky persona nowhere to be found, cried as he told U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto he made many mistakes and apologized to investors.

“I want the people who came here today to support me to understand one thing, the only person to blame for me being here today is me,” he said. “I took down Martin Shkreli.”

He said that he hopes to make amends and learn from his mistakes and apologized to his investors.

“I am terribly sorry I lost your trust,” he said. “You deserve far better.”

Prosecutors argued that the 34-year-old was a master manipulator who conned wealthy investors and deserved 15 years in prison. His lawyers said he was a misunderstood eccentric who used unconventional means to make those same investors even wealthier, and deserved 18 months or less in prison.

The judge insisted that the punishment was not about Shkreli’s online antics or raising the cost of the drug.

“This case is not about Mr. Shkreli’s self-cultivated public persona … nor his controversial statements about politics or culture,” the judge said, calling his crimes serious.

He was also fined $75,000 and received credit for the roughly six months he has been in prison.

The judge ruled earlier this week that Shkreli would have to forfeit more than $7.3 million in a brokerage account and personal assets including his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album that he boasted he bought for $2 million. The judge said the property would not be seized until Shkreli had a chance to appeal.

Attorney Benjamin Brafman told Matsumoto Friday that he sometimes wants to hug Shkreli and sometimes wants to punch him in the face , but he said his outspokenness shouldn’t be held against him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said Shkreli deserved the stiffer sentence not because he is “the most hated man in America,” but because he is a criminal convicted of serious fraud. She said the judge had to consider his history and said he has “no respect whatsoever” for the law, or the court proceedings.

“I also want to make clear that Mr. Shkreli is not a child,” Kasulis said. “He’s not a teenager who just needs some mentoring. He is a man who needs to take responsibility for his actions.”

Unapologetic from the beginning, when he was roundly publicly criticized for defending the 5,000 percent price increase of Daraprim, a previously cheap drug used to treat HIV, Shkreli seemed to drift through his criminal case as if it was one big joke.

After his arrest in December 2015, he taunted prosecutors, got kicked off of Twitter for harassing a female journalist, heckled Clinton from the sidewalk outside her daughter’s home, gave speeches with the conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and spent countless hours livestreaming himself in his apartment.

He was tight-lipped when faced with a barrage of questions about the price hike from members of Congress a couple of months later, citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. After the hearing, he tweeted that the lawmakers were “imbeciles.”

Shkreli insisted he was being persecuted by prosecutors for being outspoken and confidently predicted after his conviction that he was unlikely to be sentenced to jail.

Things abruptly changed, though, last fall after he jokingly offered his online followers a $5,000 bounty to anyone who could get a lock of Hillary Clinton’s hair. The judge revoked his bail and threw him in jail, a decision that she defended Friday.

That didn’t tame Shkreli completely. He corresponded with journalists, ridiculing the personal appearance of one female reporter who asked him for an interview.

Before sentencing him, the judge said that it was up to Congress to fix the issue of the HIV price-hike. And she spoke about how his family and friends “state, almost universally, that he is kind and misunderstood” and willing to help others in need.

She said it was clear he is a “tremendously gifted individual who has the capacity for kindness.”

She quoted from letters talking about generous acts like counseling a rape victim, teaching inmates math and chess, and funding family members.

The defense had asked the judge to consider the letters in its case for leniency, including professionals he worked with who vouched for his credentials as a self-made contributor to pharmaceutical advances.

Other testimonials were as quirky as the defendant himself. One woman described how she became an avid follower of Shkreli’s social media commentary about science, the pharmaceutical industry, but mostly, about himself. She suggested that those who were annoyed by it were missing the point.

“I really appreciate the social media output, which I see on par with some form of performance art,” she wrote.

Another supporter said Shkreli’s soft side was demonstrated when he adopted a cat from a shelter — named Trashy — that became a fixture on his livestreams. Another letter was from a man who said he met Shkreli while driving a cab and expressed his appreciation at how he ended up giving him an internship at one of his drug companies.

In court filings, prosecutors argued that Shkreli’s remorse about misleading his investors was not to be believed.

“At its core, this case is about Shkreli’s deception of people who trusted him,” they wrote.</s>Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for defrauding investors out of more than $10 million.

Shkreli, who gained notoriety for inflating the price of a life-saving drug, had faced up to 20 years behind bars for mismanaging money at three hedge funds.

He was convicted on August 5, 2017 of securities fraud and conspiracy in what prosecutors said amounted to a Ponzi scheme. Shkreli called the charges “a witch hunt of epic proportions.”

Shkreli, the former Chief Executive Officer of Retrophin, is most famous for his role as founder and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. That’s where he jacked up the price of Daraprim, a life-saving drug for HIV patients, from $13.50 a pill to $750, sparking an angry public backlash. He ended up testifying on Capitol Hill about drug prices, but he sneered his way through the appearance and pleaded the Fifth Amendment.

The Daraprim debacle has nothing to do with his fraud convictions. Shkreli still has a net worth of $27.1 million, after subtracting for the forfeiture, and the taxes and legal fees that he owes, according to a court document.</s>The attorney for convicted fraudster Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) says his client is doing "fine" after he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

 

Ben Brafman had asked the judge for a sentence of 18 months or less because his investors in two failed hedge funds got all of their money back. Prosecutors recommended 15 years.

 

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto (KEE'-yoh maht-soo-MOH'-toh) says his sentence did not reflect his antics outside the courtroom, like jacking up the cost of a lifesaving HIV drug.

 

But she did say his crimes were serious and he needed to be held accountable.

 

Brafman says the sentence could have been worse. But he's upset his client will be behind bars for so long. Shkreli's family didn't comment.

 

___

 

2 p.m.

 

The self-promoting "Pharma Bro" vilified for jacking up the price of a lifesaving drug has been sentenced to prison for securities fraud.

 

Pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison by U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto (KEE'-yoh maht-soo-MOH'-toh) after he was convicted last year of lying to investors in two failed hedge funds.

 

Shkreli cried as he told the judge that he made many mistakes and he apologized to investors.

 

His attorney argued that he deserved 18 months or less and shouldn't be punished for being outspoken. The judge says she did not take his outside actions into account.

 

Shkreli had been free on bail until a judge jailed him for offering a $5,000 bounty to anyone who could get a lock of Hillary Clinton's hair last year.

 

He remains in custody.

 

___

 

12:30 p.m.

 

"Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli is crying as he tells a judge preparing to sentence him that he made many mistakes.

 

The pharmaceutical executive apologized to investors he defrauded in a securities fraud conviction.

 

He says he is the only person to blame and not the media, government, nor his business partners. He says he hopes to get a chance to make amends and learn from his mistakes.

 

Prosecutors want him sentenced to 15 years in prison, while his defense attorney argued he only deserves 18 months because his investors in two failed hedge funds got their money back.

 

___

 

12:20 p.m.

 

A federal prosecutor says "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) should be sentenced to 15 years, not because he is "the most hated man in America," but because he's a criminal convicted of serious fraud.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said Friday that the judge must also consider the history and characteristics of the defendant. She says the pharmaceutical CEO has "no respect whatsoever" for the law or the court proceedings.

 

Shkreli became notorious for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics online. But he was convicted in a separate securities fraud case.

 

His lawyers asked for 18 months because his investors in two failed hedge funds got all of their money back.

 

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto (KEE'-yoh maht-soo-MOH'-toh) will decide Friday.

 

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11:30 a.m.

 

A defense lawyer for "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) says his client shouldn't be sentenced to a more severe punishment because he is outspoken.

 

Attorney Benjamin Brafman is speaking at the sentencing Friday for the pharmaceutical company CEO on a securities fraud conviction.

 

Shkreli became notorious for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics online.

 

Brafman says that sometimes he wants to hug Shkreli, and sometimes he wants to punch him in the face. He says his client has made his job more difficult by his online outbursts, but he shouldn't be punished for that.

 

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto (KEE'-yoh maht-soo-MOH'-toh) is weighing Brafman's request to sentence him to 18 months, or at least 15 years as prosecutors have requested.

 

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11:05 a.m.

 

"Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) is in the courtroom to be sentenced on a securities fraud conviction.

 

A judge must weigh whether the pharmaceutical company CEO is a manipulator who conned wealthy investors or a misunderstood eccentric who made those same investors even wealthier.

 

The defense wants the judge to give Shkreli a sentence of 18 months or less because his investors in two failed hedge funds got all of their money back. Prosecutors say he deserves at least 15 years behind bars for lying to them.

 

Shkreli became notorious for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics on the internet with his snarky persona.

 

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12:03 a.m.

 

Is "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli (SHKREL'-ee) a manipulator who conned wealthy investors or a misunderstood eccentric who made those same investors even wealthier?

 

A federal judge in Brooklyn will have to weigh the conflicting portrayals of the former pharmaceutical company CEO on Friday at his sentencing on a securities fraud conviction.

 

The stakes are high: The defense wants the judge to give Shkreli a sentence of 18 months or less because his investors in two failed hedge funds got all of their money back. Prosecutors say he deserves at least 15 years behind bars for lying to them.

 

Shkreli became notorious for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics on the internet with his snarky "Pharma Bro" persona.
A Brooklyn federal court sentences Martin Shkreli to seven years in prison for securities fraud in his hedge fund and pharmaceutical companies.