Martin Shkreli is likely the most detested CEO in the country at this point. After being ousted for jacking the price of a necessary HIV drug over 5,500 percent, from $13.50 to $750 per pill, in an effort to build good will among his peers, Shkreli said publically that he would be willing to pay Bobby Shmurda's $2 million bail. Further, it was recently revealed that none other than Shkreli was the mysterious buyer of Wu Tang Clan's Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album, which was auctioned for $2 million. Shkreli bought the only existing copy of the album and after his recent arrest for securities fraud, may have to give it up to satisfy the demands of the state.
As TMZ reports, Shkreli was indicted on charges of $65 million in securities fraud. As it appears, if the prosecutors can provide evidence that any of the $65 million gained by Shkreli illegally was used to purchase the album, Shkreli could receive a forfeiture action to seize the album.
According to HipHopDX, "In addition, [TMZ] reports that even if any of the $65 million was not used to purchase the coveted album, if Shkreli gets convicted and the judge orders restitution, the U.S. Marshals could seize it." Thus, the likelihood of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin hitting the marketplace once again seems relatively positive.
Naturally, the arrest and possibly seizure have warranted quite a bit of buzz. The comments over the possible loss of the album by Shkreli prompted the New York FBI to tweet, "No seizure warrant at the arrest of Martin Shkreli today, which means we didn't seize the Wu-Tang Clan album."
Regarding the initial purchase of the album, Wu Tang leader RZA said, "The sale of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was agreed upon in May, well before Martin Shkreli's business practices came to light. We decided to give a significant portion of the proceeds to charity."
