![Martin Shkreli](./media_1483097f244c879faaf0f061cce3e9e051d58dd76.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
Martin Shkreli, a former pharmaceutical executive infamous for increasing drug prices by 5,000 percent, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday (March 9) after being convicted of three charges related to fraud last year.
As reported, in addition to being sentenced to a seven-year sentence, he was also ordered to forfeit more than $7.3 million in personal assets, including his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Shkreli purchased the rare album in 2015 for $2 million, going on to make countless headlines for putting the album on eBay (a direct violation of the agreed-upon terms) and other antics.
While in court, Shkreli was reportedly in tears and begged the judge to show mercy during the ruling.
“The only person to blame for me being here is me,” he said, during the sentencing proceedings. “There is no government conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions.”
Hip-hop fans, on the other hand, took to social media to celebrate the sentencing, with many noting they felt that justice was appropriately served.