Martin Shkreli: I'm not a jerk
Disgraced pharma CEO opens up in exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal
The 32-year-old multi-millionaire who resigned from multiple drug companies after his December arrest on fraud charges gave a rare interview denying his image as a "pharma bro."
Speaking to Fox 5, Martin Shkreli said he was innocent of all charges against him, calling the government's case "fictituous." He also said an "ironic" sunglasses photo posted online added to his notoriety.
"I'm not a 'pharma bro', right? This is a name that got started when there was a picture I took that was meant to be ironic of me in these sunglasses and listening to a rap song, making sort of a funny hand signal."
Shkreli first made headlines as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, when he hiked up the price of a potentially life-saving AIDS drug from $13.50 to $750 per pill.
The feds arrested him on unrelated charges late last year. Prosecutors say he improperly took cash from his first drug company, Retrophin, to pay off investors in some of his hedge funds.
Also last year, he emerged as the buyer who paid $2 million for a rare copy of an album from the rap group the Wu-Tang Clan.
He said all the negative publicity surrounding the drug price hike and his image triggered the arrest.
Shkreli accused his critics of "looking for someone to hate and if I fit that mold I almost feel I'm serving some sort of utility for them to feel that hate for me."
He's out on bail and continues to live-stream with his followers.
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