Of Course Martin Shkreli's Lawyer Has Been Convicted of Fraud

Martin Shkreli really knows how to pick 'em.

Martin Shkreli
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Image via Getty/Spencer Platt

Martin Shkreli

Martin Shkreli, one of the worst people of 2017, is so toxic that even people who used to associate with him are starting to drop like flies. Evan Greebel, a former adviser for Shkreli’s companies, has been convicted of fraud and might be headed to prison, Bloomberg reports.

Greebel was found guilty of helping cook Shkreli’s books, stealing as much as $11 million to pay back investors after Shkreli lost their money in his shady business dealings. Although some lawyers who worked with Greebel spoke in his defense, calling him a “talented attorney” with a “difficult client,” it’s hard to absolve him of wanting to work, and commit fraud, with a guy like Shkreli, who became infamous back in 2015 for increasing the price of life-saving medicine by more 5,000 percent. Shkreli then managed to keep himself in the news by being an even worse and creepier person than he had already proved himself to be: he bought the only copy of a priceless Wu-Tang Clan album, he wanted to buy the gun that George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin with, and also offered a $5,000 bounty for some of Hillary Clinton’s hair, among other atrocities.

Greebel was convicted by a jury for conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Wednesday after a ten-week trial. He is currently out on bail awaiting his sentencing, a date for which has yet to be set. Greebel could face a maximum of 20 years in prison, although it is unlikely that he would actually go away for that long.

"We’re just shocked by the decision," Greebel's attorney Reed Brodsky said. "Shkreli himself is so toxic that it's hard to, in today’s environment, get justice."

Shkreli himself was convicted of fraud and conspiracy just a few months ago for being involved in the same fraud scheme that Greebel helped facilitate. Shkreli was, however, acquitted of stealing money from Retrophin. Shkreli is currently being held in prison while he awaits sentencing, which has been scheduled for February 21, 2018. He also faces up to 20 years in prison. Greebel was tried separately from Shkreli, but Bloomberg notes that the judge responsible for sentencing Shkreli could now consider Greebel’s allegations since a jury has decided that there was indeed a scheme to steal money from the company.

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