REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli apologized on Monday to a federal judge after offering a $ 5,000 bounty for some of Hillary Clinton’s hair.
In a letter addressed to Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, Shkreli wrote that he “used poor judgment” and “never intended to cause alarm or promote any act of violence.”
“I wanted to personally apologize to this Court and my lawyers for the aggravation that my recent postings have caused,” Shkreli wrote. “I understand now, that some may have read my comments about Mrs. Clinton as threatening, when that was never my intention when making those comments.”
Shkreli, who was found guilty on two counts of securities fraud, caught the Secret Service’s attention after he wrote a Facebook post last week that read: “The Clinton Foundation is willing to KILL to protect its secrets. So on HRC’s book tour, try to grab a hair from her… Will pay $ 5,000 per hair obtained.”
Following the post, he added a disclaimer, according to CNBC: “(this is satire, meant for humor and not an endorsement of violence against a truly wonderful public servant).”
Federal prosecutors didn’t find the post humorous and asked the court to revoke Shkreli’s $ 5 million bail. Citing “escalating pattern of threats and harassment,” prosecutors alleged that Shkreli was a “danger to his community,” Fortune reported.
Read Shkreli’s entire letter:
Dear Judge Matsumoto:
I wanted to personally apologize to this Court and my lawyers for the aggravation that my recent postings have caused. I understand now, that come may have read my comments about Mrs. Clinton as threatening, when that was never my intention when making those comments. I used poor judgment but never intended to cause alarm or promote any act of violence whatsoever. To the contrary, within minutes of posting my remarks about Mrs. Clinton’s hair, I posted quite clearly that I was absolutely “not” encouraging anyone to assault anyone. It never occurred to me that my awkward attempt at humor or satire would cause Mrs. Clinton or the Secret Service any distress.
I want to assure Your Honor that I am not a violent person, have never personally engaged in any violent behavior, nor have I ever intentionally encouraged anyone to do so. I apologize for my behavior and ask you respectfully not to change my bail status so that I may continue to assist my attorneys in preparing for my sentencing.
Respectfully,
Martin Shkreli
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