Get All Access for $5/mo

Judge Permanently Bans 'Chaotic' and 'Untrustworthy' Martin Shkreli From Running Public Companies Shkreli had asked for a 10-year officer and director restriction.

By Amanda Breen

Infamous 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli will never sit at the helm of a public company again. On Wednesday, a U.S. judge permanently banned the former pharmaceutical executive from acting as an officer or director of public companies, Reuters reports, and also fined him $1.39 million for violating securities law between 2009 and 2014.

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in Brooklyn issued her ruling in the Securities and Exchange Commission's civil case, alleging Shkreli swindled investors in his hedge fund and siphoned funds from his biotechnology company Retrophin to pay back those investors.

In 2015, Shkreli was the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, where he gained notoriety for inflating the price of life-saving parasitic drug Daraprim overnight to $750 per tablet from $17.50. Later that year, he was arrested on fraud and conspiracy charges related to Retrophin and his MSMB Capital Management and MSMB Healthcare Management hedge funds. He was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy in 2017 and received a seven-year sentence, which he's currently serving at a low-security prison in Allenwood, PA.

Related: 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges

Shkreli had asked for a 10-year officer and director restriction, claiming that his prison sentence and $7.8 million in forfeiture and fines in his associated criminal case were punishment enough. But Matsumoto called Shkreli a "chaotic, dishonest, and untrustworthy corporate leader" who would likely break the law again if given the chance to lead a public company in the future.

Last month, a federal judge in Manhattan permanently barred Shkreli from the drug industry and fined him $64.6 million.

Shkreli will be eligible for release in November of this year.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Management

Most Gen Z Workers Want This One Thing From Their Employer. Are You Providing It?

Millions of college graduates are entering the workforce, and many feel unprepared. Here's the one thing they're looking for from potential employers — and how providing it will benefit you and your business in the long run.

Making a Change

Get a Lifetime of Babbel Language Learning for Just $150 Through June 17

Learn up to 14 languages over the course of a lifetime, with bite-size lessons, personalized reviews, and speech recognition tech.

Growing a Business

7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Business in 2024 and Beyond

Insulate yourself from the turbulence so you can maximize the opportunities and grow.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Side Hustle

'The Work Just Fills My Soul': She Turned Her Creative Side Hustle Into a 6-Figure 'Dream' Business

Kayla Valerio, owner of vivid hair salon Haus of Color, transformed her passion into a lucrative venture.