This is a brief follow-up to an earlier
post on Martin Shkreli, #214, “Fraudster, or The Immigrant’s Dream Come True?” This post will make no sense unless you read,
or reread, that earlier post.
There are many views of the young and sexy
Mr. Shkreli, as for example:
· A financial boy wonder, being many times a millionaire
at age 32.
· An exemplar of the American dream, rising from humble
origins in an immigrant family in a crowded apartment in Brooklyn to make it
big on Wall Street.
· An alleged criminal indicted for securities fraud and
wire fraud. (The government’s view.)
· An unscrupulous pharmaceutical CEO and “morally
bankrupt sociopath” who overnight raised the price of a drug from $13.50 to
$750, provoking a storm of protest that he seemed to enjoy.
· A narcissist who, when not instigating financial mayhem
on Wall Street, does an hours-long live stream on You Tube talking about
himself.
· The world’s most eligible bachelor (his own words) and
God’s gift to women.
Out on bail, Mr. Shkreli had fallen out of
sight, eclipsed by the electoral antics of a clutch of raucous candidates. But on Thursday, March 17, he resurfaced in
testimony before the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, which is
investigating, not his misdeeds on Wall Street, but his nefarious
pharmaceutical practices. Not that he
was himself present – he disdains Congressional committees to the point of
testifying, when he has to, only by video – but his name and actions were
vividly discussed.
The witness who was present and testifying
was Howard Dorfman, the former general counsel of Turing Pharmaceuticals, the
outfit that Mr. Shkreli headed when he raised the price of the drug to
astronomical levels. A 30-year veteran
of the pharmaceutical industry, he had protested the price hike.
“Mr. Shkreli told me that he
was the most knowledgeable person with regard to this business model, that I
was seriously misinformed.” The Turing
CEO “basically said that no one cares
about prices” – an assertion proven quickly false, when the price hike set off
a national furor that sent drug prices plummeting and made them an issue in the
presidential campaign. Mr. Dorfman was
fired a few weeks after his disagreement with Shkreli, and Shkreli himself
resigned as CEO in December, after his 6 a.m. arrest by the FBI on fraud
charges. Two Turing execs were also
called to testify, but they said that they had not been involved in raising the
drug’s price, which remains at its elevated level. And how did the Senators characterize Turing
and its practices? “Scam!” “Sick game!”
“The incarnation of evil!”
But the price hike, while denounced
universally, is not illegal in this country, as it would be in some others. Mr. Shkreli’s legal imbroglio involves Wall
Street shenanigans whereby he allegedly took cash from one of his
entrepreneurial undertakings in order to satisfy claims arising from his
liquidation of another – a slick variation of a Ponzi scheme. Mr. Shkreli is nothing if not innovative. But it’s his sheer chutzpah that fascinates
me and motivates me to do this sequel.
How his problems are going to be resolved is a matter well worth
pondering. I’ll keep you posted as his
adventures continue to unfold.
And
once again, the book: Forgive me, if
I can’t resist tooting my own horn. No Place for Normal: New York just got a
stellar online review from Reader Views – the kind authors dream of but rarely
receive – which I will reproduce here in its entirety:
No Place for Normal:
New York
Clifford Browder
Mill City Press, Inc. (2015)
ISBN 9781634137249
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (03/16)
“No Place for Normal: New York” by Clifford Browder is a delightful
treasure chest full of short stories about New York City. Readers are regaled
with tales about city icons - from street characters to celebrities, famous
restaurants, and tourist locations such as Greenwich Village, Union Square, and
Central Park, rounded out with tales of inspiration, adventure, drama, and
nightlife. New York City has no room for anything normal - the more eccentric,
different, weird, and astonishing, the better. It is undeniably the most unique
city in America, as demonstrated in these great stories.
Although a transplanted Texan of many years, my hometown is Saratoga
Springs, New York. That noted, I must say that one of my favorite stories in
the book is “Upstate vs. Downstate: The Great Dichotomy.” Even as a child, I
remember when people asked me where I was from I would always respond “Upstate
New York” as opposed to just “New York,” clearly wanting to establish the
difference in the inquirer’s mind. I don’t recall how that was ever ingrained
so deeply in my mind; even so, I can’t imagine what would have happened if NYC
had succeeded in seceding from the state!
I believe one of the most interesting stories in the book is on the back
cover. I found the author’s short bio to be an interesting story in and of
itself. Browder, a writer and retired freelance editor, resides above the
Magnolia Bakery – you know, the Sex and
the City Magnolia
Bakery! He has never owned a car or a television, and in his own words, “shuns
the cell phone and tolerates the computer!” Living in New York City –
unplugged? Now that’s a story!
I thoroughly enjoyed “No Place for Normal: New York” by Clifford Browder
and highly recommend it to all fans of entertaining short stories and lovers of
New York City. It would also make an interesting travel guide for people who
just want to learn more about the city that never sleeps!
Coming soon: Good-bye to a Real New Yorker, My
Friend John Anderson. Beyond that, maybe
a minipost on European traditionalism vs. American modernism and our cult of
the New, via Edith Wharton. Yes, ideas
for squibs keep coming, resurrecting the blog that I thought I had buried. Short posts, however – quick reads, nothing
more.
© 2016
Clifford Browder
Glad to see you're still doing it. I'm a Shkreli fan since watching his Breakfast Club youtube.
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