Lawyer guilty in ‘Bro’ swindle plot
A FORMER LAWYER for Martin Shkreli was convicted Wednesday of plotting with the Pharma Bro to swindle a company he was supposed to be guiding.
Evan Greebel was expressionless as he heard the Brooklyn Federal Court jury convict him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Jurors had deliberated for three days following a two-month trial. Prosecutors argued that the white-shoe lawyer was Shkreli’s right-hand man in a scheme to pay back hedge fund investors with money from Shkreli’s fledgling pharmaceutical company, Retrophin.
Shkreli was convicted in August on three of eight counts. Now both men are facing up to 20 years when sentenced.
Greebel’s lawyers have insisted he’s innocent and say he was played by Shkreli.
Months ahead of trial, Greebel, 44, pushed hard to get his own trial. His lawyers worried being next to Shkreli — dubbed the “Most Hated Man in America” after his 2015 drug pricing spike — would wrongly tip the scales against Greebel. No sentencing date was scheduled. Acting Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Bridget Rohde hailed the verdict, and said Greebel had “betrayed the trust placed in him by Retrophin’s board of directors.”
Greebel’s lawyers said they were “shocked by the verdict” and “will continue to fight for justice.”