Few white-collar defendants have been more reviled than the man known as the Pharma Bro, Martin Shkreli, even before he was convicted on multiple counts of securities fraud. The Atlantic called him “the perfect and very hateable combination of arrogance, youth, and avarice,” after he gained notoriety for acquiring the rights to generic drugs for rare diseases and then jacking up the prices.

Ben Brafman, Mr. Shkreli’s defense lawyer, told me this week that in his four decades of representing high-profile clients, he’d never encountered so many potential jurors who asked to be excused because they didn’t think they could give his client a fair hearing. “I’ve represented people charged with murder and dismemberment, and jurors didn’t bat an eye,” he said. “In Martin’s case, they asked to be excused because they hated him.”

Mr. Shkreli was convicted of fraud for his activities at two hedge funds he ran, not for anything related to drug pricing. Mr. Brafman argued that Mr. Shkreli eventually repaid all of his investors, and some realized large gains. Still, a jury ultimately found Mr. Shkreli guilty on three counts — acquitting him on five others — and this month he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

In stark contrast, Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the Silicon Valley blood-testing start-up Theranos, was one of the most lauded members of her young generation. By the time she turned 30, she’d been the subject of glowing magazine profiles and flattering cover photos, the recipient of an honorary degree from Pepperdine University, and a member of the board of fellows of Harvard Medical School.