Convicted former pharmaceuticals executive Martin Shkreli offers a bounty for Hillary Clinton’s hair and threatens to smash up a £1.5 million work by the Wu-Tang Clan
Martin Shkreli is getting madder and madder. Convicted of securities fraud in August and awaiting sentencing, the troubled former drug company executive took to Facebook on 4th September to offer a bounty of £3,800 ($5,000, €4,200 or درهم18,400) per lock of Hillary Clinton’s hair obtained and is also attempting to auction or destroy the one and only copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album on eBay for £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.3 million).
After 324 bids, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album – which Shkreli purchased, he claims, “as a gift to the Wu-Tang Clan for their tremendous musical output. Instead I received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members, and the world at large failed to see my purpose of putting a serious value behind music” – has already reached a price of just over £759,000 ($1 million, €832,000 or درهم3.7 million).
Accompanying the eBay listing, Shkreli brashly adds:
“At any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration. I will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research. I am not selling to raise cash–my companies and I have record amounts of cash on hand. I hope someone with a bigger heart for music can be found for this one-of-a-kind piece and makes it available for the world to hear.”
Both the Wu-Tang Clan and Hillary Clinton stunts may backfire. Last Thursday, prosecutors told a court in New York: “[Shkreli is engaged in a] pattern of threats and harassment” and sought for his bail to be revoked. In response, Benjamin Brafman for Shkreli, commented:
“We take the matter seriously and intend to address the issue responsibly… However inappropriate some of Mr Shkreli’s postings may have been, we do not believe that he intended harm and do not believe that he poses a danger to the community.”
Other assets in the multi-millionaire’s possession are said to include a Picasso and an original ‘Enigma’ machine from the Second World War. We jolly well hope he doesn’t threaten to smash them up too.