‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli is facing seven years in prison after he was found guilty of defrauding investors in two failed hedge fund schemes.

In an unusual display of contriteness, Shkreli wept as the judge delivered his sentence, and told the court he only had himself to blame for the situation. “I took down Martin Shkreli,” he said. “I am terribly sorry I lost your trust. You deserve far better.”

Prosecutors, calling Shkreli a “master manipulator”, had argued for a longer sentence of 15 years.

In September, Shkreli had his bail revoked over a Facebook post in which he offered to pay $5,000 for a Hillary Clinton hair “with the follicle”, meaning he has already spent six months in jail.

However, the judge said of the sentencing: “This case is not about Mr Shkreli’s self-cultivated public persona … nor his controversial statements about politics or culture.”

According to TIME Magazine, the defence attempted to paint a picture of an eccentric genius, quoting letters which revealed that Shkreli had counselled a rape victim, supported his family members with money, and taught fellow inmates how to play chess.

The former executive is well known for hiking the price of a critical AIDS drug by 5000 per cent, harassing female journalists and courting favour with alt-right provocateurs like Milo Yiannoppolis. 

Daraprim, which is used to treat rare parasitic infections in AIDS patients, went from costing $13.50 to $750 per pill in 2015, when Shkreli was at the helm of Turing Pharmaceuticals.

The court initially struggled to find a jury that would be impartial towards Shkreli, with transcripts from over 200 dismissed jurors reading like a dark comedy.

One juror called him a “snake”, another as “the face of corporate greed in America”.

Others said they were aware of his part in raising the price of pharmaceuticals, detailing their own experiences with a putrid healthcare system dickheads like Shkreli prop up. Juror 59 said: “He disrespected the Wu-Tang Clan”.

Shkreli also gained notoriety in 2016 for buying the only copy of a Wu-Tang album Open Upon a Time in Shaolin for $2 million then refusing to share it with anyone until Trump was elected.

Last week, he was ordered by a federal judge to hand over $7.36 million in assets, including the copy.