Martin Shkreli, pharma bro and convicted criminal, is back doing what he does best: being a terrible person. This time, he’s trolling the journalists who have criticized him in the past by buying domains containing their names and mocking them with the content.
In the past eight months, he’s purchased 12 domains – each one associated with journalists from organizations like Business Insider, CNBC, Vice, New York Post, Teen Vogue, and Gizmodo. Some of these purchases were made when Shkreli was conducting a livestream. Harassing journalists is a familiar activity for the recently-convicted fraudster. He was banned from Twitter earlier this year for harassing Teen Vogue‘s Lauren Duca, and has continuously criticized journalists covering his various legal issues.
Martin Shkreli: ‘I Wouldn’t Call These People Journalists’
While Shkreli purchased these domains quite a few months ago, he only recently began customizing them with content obviously meant to troll or mock their namesakes. A website for Maya Kosoff, a reporter for Vanity Fair, greets visitors by saying “here we honor one of the most vibrant Social Justice advocates today.” CNBC’s Caroline Moss has a similar greeting on “her” page, with Shkreli calling it a “CNBC safe spacer.” Perhaps most disgustingly is the content he published on the page named for New York Post reporter Emily Saul, where he signs off his message with “xoxo.” He offered to sell the domain back to her – for $12,000.
When Business Insider reached out for comment, Shkreli responded by asking what the reporter wanted on their website, and was dismissive of the journalists involved.
I wouldn’t call these people ‘journalists.’ They are the unwitting recipients of liberalism subsidy from large media and telecom companies…only a few notches above the white supremacists we hear so much about these days.
This latest move isn’t exactly surprising. Shkreli is basically a cartoon villain brought to life, wealth, demeanour, and deeds included. Most people first became aware of his existence in 2015, when his pharmaceutical company purchased a drug commonly used to treat HIV and increased the price by more than 5,000 percent. He’s embraced the nickname “pharma bro” and seems to crave attention.
More recently, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud, after lawyers experienced some difficulty finding 12 people who didn’t think he was completely evil. He faces up to 20 years in prison. While he will likely receive a shorter sentence, his behaviour, both now and in the past, could be a determining factor. Good luck with that one bro.
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