Martin Shkreli in solitary confinement after running business from prison

By aoligschlaeger on April 2, 2019

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 4: (L to R) Lead defense attorney Benjamin Brafman walks with former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli after the jury issued a verdict at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, August 4, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Shkreli was found guilty on three of the eight counts involving securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Much-maligned “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli — you know, the one who raised the cost of HIV pills from $13.50 each to $750 each — is sweating it out in solitary confinement.

Shkreli, an inmate at Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution, stands accused of running his company from behind bars using a contraband cell phone. Here’s how it went down:

On March 7, the Wall Street Journal published an article reporting that Shkreli had fired the interim CEO of Phoenixus AG, the reincarnation of the late Turing Pharmaceuticals AG (which collapsed after Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud). Seeing as Shkreli is currently serving 7 years in federal prison, this raised a few eyebrows.

According to a source close to Shkreli, corrections officers moved Shkreli to Fort Dix’s special housing unit, or SHU, about a week and a half after the Journal article ran. The Bureau of Prisons would not confirm that Shkreli was in solitary confinement, as they do not speak on individual inmates’ containment situations, but they did confirm that the article’s allegations were “under investigation.”

“When there are allegations of misconduct, they are thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action is taken if allegations are sustained,” a BOP spokesperson said.

According to inmate Justin Liverman, who is serving time for his participation in hacker group Crackas with Attitude, Shkreli was still in the SHU as of Sunday.