28 Jun “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli Can’t Find an Impartial Jury

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On today’s Good Morning America, Dan discusses the difficulties the court is facing in finding an impartial jury for the trial of investor Martin Shkreli, who was arrested in December of 2015 on security fraud charges, among others. Shkreli, who founded Turing Pharmaceuticals and in 2015 infamously raised the price of the HIV treatment drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill, has widely been called “the most hated man in America”–a title nearly 250 potential jurors are finding difficult to ignore. Yet Dan points out that the 5,000% price-gouging increase is not what Shkreli is on trial for–it is just what he is most well-known for. Shkreli’s investors are accusing him of running his companies “like Ponzi schemes,” charging him with security fraud, wire fraud, and defrauding his investors.

Despite the unrelated charges, many jurors are admitingly unable or unwilling to forgive Shkreli’s past, referring to him as “the face of corporate greed” and “a snake.” However, Dan notes that most people do not know who Shkreli is and what he has done–the real problem the judge faces will be keeping Shkreli’s outspoken detractors from tainting the whole jury pool. Shkreli’s lawyers’ call for a mistrial have already been dismissed, and–provided the court is able to find an unbiased jury of his peers–Shkreli could face up to 20 years in prison.