In choosing a jury for entrepreneur’s fraud trial, the court dealt with anger over his treatment of the Wu-Tang Clan and concerns that he looked like ‘a snake’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Don’t disrespect the Wu-Tang Clan – not if you want a fair trial. The transcripts for jury interviews from the trial of Martin Shkreli, the pharmaceutical entrepreneur who became “America’s most hated man”, are out – and they show that finding 12 good men (and women) was no easy task.

Shkreli was convicted of fraud earlier this month after deceiving investors in two failed hedge funds. But the perpetually smirking “pharma bro” is best known for hiking the price of a drug used by people with Aids by 5,000% and for buying the only copy of a 2014 Wu-Tang Clan album, then refusing to let people listen to the whole thing.

Over three days in June, the Brooklyn court struggled to find jurors who could give Shkreli a fair trial. Here’s a selection of the replies from the ones that got away. The transcripts were first published by Harper’s.

The court: “The purpose of jury selection is to ensure fairness and impartiality in this case. If you think that you could not be fair and impartial, it is your duty to tell me. All right. Juror No 1.”



Juror No 1: “I’m aware of the defendant and I hate him.”

Benjamin Brafman, Shkreli’s lawyer: “I’m sorry.”

Juror No 1: “I think he’s a greedy little man.”

The court: “Jurors are obligated to decide the case based only on the evidence. Do you agree?”

Juror No 1: “I don’t know if I could. I wouldn’t want me on this jury.”

The court: “Juror No 1 is excused.”

•••

Juror No 47: “He’s the most hated man in America. In my opinion, he equates with Bernie Madoff with the drugs for pregnant women going from $15 to $750. My parents are in their 80s. They’re struggling to pay for their medication. My mother was telling me yesterday how my father’s cancer drug is $9,000 a month.”

The court: “The case is going to come before you on evidence that you must consider fairly and with an open mind.”

Juror No 47: “I would find that difficult.”

•••

Juror No 52: “When I walked in here today, I looked at him, and in my head, that’s a snake – not knowing who he was. I just walked in and looked right at him and that’s a snake.”

Brafman: “So much for the presumption of innocence.”

•••

Juror No 144: “I heard through the news of how the defendant changed the price of a pill by up-selling it. I heard he bought an album from the Wu-Tang Clan for a million dollars.”

The court: “The question is, have you heard anything that would affect your ability to decide this case with an open mind? Can you do that?”

Juror No 144: “I don’t think I can because he kind of looks like a dick.”

•••

Juror No 59: “Your Honor, totally he is guilty and in no way can I let him slide out of anything because – ”

The court: “OK. Is that your attitude toward anyone charged with a crime who has not been proven guilty?”

Juror No 59: “It’s my attitude toward his entire demeanor, what he has done to people.”

The court: “All right. We are going to excuse you, sir.”

Juror No 59: “And he disrespected the Wu-Tang Clan.”