The trials of America’s most hated man

Being America’s most hated man may not seem an enviable position, but it does have its perks.

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"The only thing I'd be impartial about is what prison this guy goes to"
(Image credit: © 2016 Bloomberg Finance LP)

Being America's most hated man may not seem an enviable position, but it does have its perks being near-impossible to prosecute is one of them. Martin Shkreli, the controversial former drug-company chief executive and hedge-fund manager, saw his trial for securities fraud nearly collapse this year due to a struggle to find impartial jurors. "More than 200 people were dismissed from the pile of possible jury members because, it seems, Shkreli's reputation as a smug jerkoff who price-gouges HIV and cancer patients preceded him," notes Christina Cauterucci for Slate magazine. Comments included: "the only thing I'd be impartial about is what prison this guy goes to" and "when I walked in here today, I looked at him, and in my head, that's a snake".

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