Potential jurors call Shkreli evil, snake—one blamed him for EpiPen price

Enlarge / BROOKLYN, NY - Monday, June 26, 2017: Martin Shkreli arrives at Brooklyn Federal Court on the first day of his securities fraud trial. (credit: Getty | Kevin Hagen)

Martin Shkreli appeared in a New York federal court Monday for the start of his securities fraud trial-and was quickly declared guilty of price gouging by potential jurors.

Shkreli is facing eight counts of securities and wire fraud in connection to an alleged Ponzi-like scheme involving one of his old pharmaceutical companies, Retrophin. But the ex-CEO is infamous for something completely different: raising the price of a life-saving medication given to infants and people with HIV/AIDS by more than 5,000 percent overnight as CEO and founder of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Outrage over that unrelated move spilled into the courtroom today and stands to slow progress of the fraud trial.

In interviews with Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, potential jurors called Shkreli "evil" and "the face of corporate greed in America," CNBC reports. One potential juror said, "He's a snake." Another admitted, "I have total disdain for the man." One potential juror blamed Shkreli for the skyrocketing price of EpiPens, which are made by Mylan, a pharmaceutical company that has no connection with Shkreli.

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