Boston Herald

Pharma Bro hit with $7.36M fine, may lose Wu-Tang disc

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Martin Shkreli got smacked with a $7.36 million forfeiture order yesterday — a ruling that could put a serious dent in the Pharma Bro’s prized hip-hop collection.

Days ahead of Shkreli’s sentencing for his securities fraud conviction, Brooklyn Federal Judge Kiyo Matsumoto dropped the news she was putting him on the hook for millions and letting the feds latch onto his “substitute assets” if he can’t pay up.

Prosecutor­s say the pricey possession­s include Shkreli’s single-edition of “Once Upon A Time in Shaolin” by the Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V” and a Pablo Picasso painting.

Shkreli reportedly paid $2 million for the coveted Wu-Tang cuts. The substitute assets also include a $5 million brokerage account.

Shkreli fought against forfeiture, noting his hedge fund investors all turned profits in the end.

Matsumoto wasn’t buying it. She pointed to Shkreli’s trial last summer, where prosecutor­s unveiled evidence showing that before those rich returns Shkreli was feeding investors all sorts of bogus data.

In a hearing last month, Matsumoto asked prosecutor­s if they had a valuation on the albums. Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Kedeshian said she didn’t yet.

Matsumoto signed off yesterday on a 10-day deadline for Shkreli to tell authoritie­s where the albums and painting are located.

Shkreli’s set to be sentenced Friday. He’s been jailed since September for his $5,000 price tag on a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair and he’s pushing for a sentence of up to 18 months. Begging for leniency, Shkreli, 34, has vowed to Matsumoto he’ll do his “absolute best to use (his) skills and whatever talents (he has) been blessed with for the betterment of humanity.”

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