The man once dubbed "the most hated man in America" has been jailed after offering a $5,000 (£3,800) reward for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair.

Martin Shkreli, 34, posted the offer on his Facebook page on 4 September, shortly before the former Democratic presidential candidate embarked on a book tour.

The post prompted an investigation by the US Secret Service.

Shkreli's lawyer argued the post was protected by free speech and said it represented "political satire or strained humour".

But a court in New York decided that Shkreli's offer to pay for a Hillary Clinton hair with the follicle was "solicitation of an assault".


District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto said it was "not protected by the First Amendment" and there was "a risk someone may take" Shkreli up on his offer.

Image: Shkreli stands with his lawyer after being convicted of securities fraud in August

Shkreli, who has over 94,000 Facebook followers, said he felt "exonerated" despite ending up behind bars.

In August, the former chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC was convicted of defrauding investors of two hedge funds he ran.

He had been free on a $5m (£3.8m) bail since his arrest in December 2015.

In 2015, Shkreli earned the nickname "Pharma Bro" after adding more than $700 (£525) to the price of lifesaving HIV drug Daraprim overnight.

He was widely condemned for the move, and went on to gain a reputation for trolling his critics online.

He was labelled "the most hated man in America".

Shkreli will be sentenced early next year, and could face years in prison.