A federal judge Wednesday ordered infamous “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli to stop talking publicly to the media and tweeting about his closely-watched securities fraud trial.
“All your client has to do is stop talking in the courthouse and around the perimeter of the courthouse,” U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto said, according to CNBC. “This isn’t going to help Mr. Shkreli in the end.”
The former pharmaceutical executive made headlines after raising the price of a drug by more than 5,000 percent, from $13.50 to $750 per pill in 2015.
He’s currently being accused of stealing money from Retrophin, a company he founded, to pay back investors at MSMB Capital Management, a hedge-fund he managed between 2009 and 2012.
The judge’s comments come after Shkreli went on a five-minute tirade while speaking to the media last week.
In the rant, “the most hated man in America” derided the prosecution team, calling them “junior varsity,” according to the LA Times. “I think the world blames me for almost everything,” he added before being escorted out by his attorney.
“I was shocked that there were these comments, these statements,” Matsumoto said, according to CNBC. “There’s a great risk jurors will be exposed.”
Matsumoto is worried that Shkreli’s comments could taint the jury, especially if jurors overheard his choice words to reporters.
Prosecutors have also accused him of using an anonymous Twitter account to scoff at the trial. Shkreli was banned from Twitter earlier this year after harassing a female journalist. The anonymous account appeared to be suspended by Wednesday morning.
Shkreli’s trial began on June 26, and is expected to last four to six weeks.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.