Martin Shkreli Is Mad His NYC High School Appearance Was Axed
The convicted fraudster was invited to share his “insights” about pharma and finance by the crypto club.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters
Convicted fraudster Martin Shkreli was scheduled to share his “insights” about the financial industry with high schoolers this week after receiving an invitation from the Brooklyn Tech High School crypto club, but the event was canceled after officials got wind of it, he said.
The club posted a flier to its Instagram page in December promoting the event, which was set to take place after 10th period this Tuesday and would also delve into Shkreli’s thoughts about artificial intelligence and the pharmaceutical sector. Staff members were also invited to attend.
When The Daily Beast reached out on Monday morning, Shkreli did not respond to a request for comment, but he did post a public statement to his X account: “Talking at Brooklyn Tech tomorrow, one of my crosstown rivals growing up! Stuyvesant was the other. Fond memories of talking to the brightest kids in NYC.”
The Daily Beast, he added, was not welcome at the gathering. “However, I will offer you an exclusive opportunity to lick my balls immediately afterward.”
A flyer promoting Martin Shkreli’s planned event.
Just hours later, though, the event was apparently canceled. “NYC Department of Education commands Shkreli event at Brooklyn Tech Crypto Club shut,” he wrote.
Shkreli declared, incorrectly, that The Daily Beast had reached out to the chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and that as a result, “some 16 yo/s wont be able to get the event they wanted.”
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“Motherfuckers, i will host a parade in brooklyn on a harambe float in front of the DoE building, you dont know me,” he continued.
Brooklyn Tech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shkreli, a former pharmaceuticals kingpin, became infamous in 2015 after he raised the price of a life-saving drug called Daraprim more than 55-fold. He later said he regretted not jacking up the cost even more.
Three years later, in 2018, he was convicted of securities fraud over separate issues at his former hedge fund. Prosecutors accused him of lying to investors and distorting the firm’s performance numbers; he was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released in 2022.
Shkreli, who was banned for life from working in the pharma industry, quickly launched a “drug discovery platform” called Druglike, which positioned itself as a software business and claimed it was “not a pharmaceutical company.”
News of Shkreli’s venture attracted interest from at least two state attorneys general, and last January the Federal Trade Commission asked a judge to hold Shkreli in contempt for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry about whether he was violating his ban. Shkreli is now working to have the ban reversed.
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