Martin Shkreli Auctions His Own Face to Punch for Charity

Despised former pharmaceutical executive vows to forge on despite removal of eBay listing

Martin-Shkreli
MSNBC

Martin Shkreli, the widely despised pharmaceutical executive who hiked the price of a life-saving HIV drug 5,000 percent last year, is offering a one-time shot at his smug mug to the highest-bidding clenched fist.

In a series of tweets on Monday, the 33-year-old hedge fund pariah opened bidding on his uncommonly punchable grill, saying, “I will auction one slap/punch in the face to benefit my friend Mike who passed away & leaves behind a young son who survived cancer.”

https://twitter.com/MartinShkreli/status/780478260434042880

Fortune reported in January that Shkreli’s net worth was valued conservatively at $45 million, though the E*Trade account on which that number was based has since lost more than $40 million in value.

If your mind has begun racing with questions about how the punch or slap might be delivered, Twitter is way ahead of you. When asked by one user, “Can we bid on behalf of someone like Mike Tyson??” Shkreli replied, “As long as the money comes in and they’ll throw the punch, yes.”

Shkreli is even offering a matching donation “to a certain point.”

“You may video the slap/punch. Mike architected my publicity stunts & I bet he is watching, smiling,” Shkreli tweeted.

He was referring to his PR consultant Mike Kulich, who died Saturday night and for whom he is staging the auction, according to Shkreli.

Shkreli has been thwarted so far by eBay, which removed his listing on Tuesday. Prior to the deletion, he amended the auction to offer dinner. He is also seeking an alternate auction site.

The former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals was arrested last December on charges that he used his hedge fund and biotech company like a Ponzi scheme, and resigned a a day later. He has since gone on to pay $2 million to buy the only existing copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album, which led to a no-win feud with Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah.

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