September 12, 2016
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
NEW YORK – In an effort to stay in front of the world’s attention, Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli inserted himself into the story of Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton’s pneumonia story by waiting with reporters outside her daughter’s apartment and heckling her when she came out.
LIVE on #Periscope: Searching for @hillaryclinton https://t.co/VVWYSCvgV2— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) September 11, 2016
During a memorial service on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Clinton was ushered out of the service and taken to her daughter’s apartment after she became “overheated” and nearly collapsed. It was later reported that the presidential candidate had been diagnosed with pneumonia last week.
I enjoyed screaming “why are you so sick” and “go trump” at @HillaryClinton . Get well soon bae!— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) September 11, 2016
Shkreli, who is awaiting trial on securities fraud, used his mobile phone and the periscope app to live stream from Chelsea Clinton’s apartment—a building he said on his Twitter account used to serve as a medical facility, alleging that she was not resting in her daughter’s apartment, but receiving some kind of health treatments. The episode has brought questions of Clinton’s health to the forefront of the campaign, with her opponent, Donald Trump, leading the charge saying she does not have the stamina or the mental health to be president and deal with some of the primary issues, such as the economy and terrorist threats like the Islamic State.
On his Twitter feed, Shkreli posted multiple memes about Clinton, calling into question her health and giving credence, or just showing off his online trolling abilities, sharing the conspiracy of the use of a body double for the presidential candidate. He also said on Twitter that overheating is a “common problem with robots.”
common problem with robots https://t.co/63ku2wJ7xL— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) September 11, 2016
During his live streaming from outside the apartment, Shkreli shouted things at Clinton like “why are you so sick?” and “go Trump”—statements he reiterated on his Twitter feed. The New York post reported he had about 1,200 people following his Periscope feed during the “search for Clinton,” however the replay shows nearly 50,000 views. However, the Post said interest in the live broadcast dropped off after he began discussing the federal legal case against him. He is scheduled to appear in court June, 26 2017.
Shkreli was charged by federal authorities on Dec. 17. The seven count indictment against Shkreli included multiple charges of securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Robert Capers accused Shkreli of running his former company Retrophin Pharmaceuticals and his former hedge fund MSMB Capital Management like a “Ponzi scheme.” The indictment said Shkreli’s scheme, which caused his investors to suffer a loss of more than $11 million, was carried out over a five-year period, from 2009 to 2014. At the time of his arrest Shkreli was helming two different pharmaceutical companies, Turing Pharmaceuticals, a company he founded last year and California-based KaloBios , a company he acquired a majority stake in November 2015. Following his arrest, Shkreli resigned as CEO of Turing and was terminated as CEO of KaloBios by that company’s board of directors. KaloBios is now seeking to buy back Shkreli’s common stock shares as part of a plan to distance itself from Shkreli.
