Martin Shkreli can no longer listen to that one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album once he’s released from prison as the Department of Justice just announced that it has sold it to a brand-new owner.
In 2015, the former hedge fund manager purchased the only physical copy of the rap supergroup’s album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, for $2 million. This incredibly rare piece of music history consists of the record encased in a hand-carved box with a leather-bound manuscript containing the lyrics of the album. However, after Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in 2017, he claimed to have sold the record on eBay for $1 million—and attempted to buy a piece of Hillary Clinton’s hair. Although, after the “pharma bro” said he was contacted by Secret Service agents regarding the bounty he placed on the former Democratic nominee’s locks, he claimed that the request was just “satire.”
Whether he actually wound up selling the album on eBay or not, it seems it was ultimately recovered by the government only to be resold, with the proceeds being applied to the forfeiture money judgment against Shkreli. Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, the acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced on Tuesday that his copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin had been purchased by a secret buyer for an undisclosed price. “Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself. With today’s sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete,” she announced in a press statement.
Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in 2017 for misleading investors in two hedge funds he oversaw, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare. He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He acquired the nickname “pharma bro” after deciding to raise the price of a drug used by AIDS patients by 5,000%. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence.
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