'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli sentenced to 7 years in prison — says, 'This is my fault'

Dan Mangan | @_DanMangan

Published 1:56 PM ET Fri, 9 March 2018 Updated 5:35 PM ET Fri, 9 March 2018

Convicted fraudster Martin Shkreli is sentenced for securities fraud related to two hedge funds he ran and to his former drug company Retrophin.

The notorious "pharma bro" gained infamy for raising the price of the drug Daraprim by more than 5,000 percent while running the company then known as Turing Pharmaceuticals.

Shkreli already has been ordered to forfeit almost $7.4 million, and give up his ownership of a one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album because of his crimes.

Notorious "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli made a sob-filled plea for leniency but ended up getting sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for federal fraud charges related to hedge funds and a drug company that he once ran.

"The one person to blame for me being here today is me," a choked-up Shkreli told a judge before she imposed the prison term in Brooklyn, New York, federal court.

"Not the government. There is no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli."

"I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions."

"This is my fault. I am no victim here," Shkreli said, before breaking down into tears as he promised not to let his lawyer Benjamin Brafman down in his efforts to contribute to society.

"Do not feel bad for me," Shkreli told a packed courtroom that included supporters and family members, many of whom had written letters asking Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to spare him from a harsh sentence.

Sauce: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/09/pharma-bro-martin-shkreli-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison.html

Fox News Releases Statement Supporting CNN’s Lawsuit Against The WH

Amber Athey | Media and Breaking News Editor

Fox News President Jay Wallace released a statement Wednesday morning announcing support for CNN’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over the revocation of Jim Acosta’s press credentials.

Fox also announced its intention to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in support of CNN.

READ THE STATEMENT:

“FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized. While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

CNN filed suit against the White House on Tuesday, claiming that the administration violated the network’s First and Fifth Amendment rights by taking away Chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s hard pass.

“The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process,” CNN said in a statement. “We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.”

CNN also alleged in its lawsuit that the White House’s actions could have a chilling effect on challenging questions from other reporters.

The White House took away Acosta’s pass last week after a contentious exchange with the president in which Acosta refused to hand over his microphone to a White House intern.

>>3899656

Oppps.. Sauce: https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/14/fox-news-releases-statement-supporting-cnns-lawsuit-against-the-wh/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_medium=Social&__twitter_impression=true

Federal prosecutors reviewing altered election documents tied to Florida Democrats

By MATT DIXON

11/14/2018 09:01 AM EST

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Department of State last week asked federal prosecutors to investigate dates that were changed on official state election documents, the first voting “irregularities” it has flagged in the wake of the 2018 elections.

The concerns, which the department says can be tied to the Florida Democratic Party, center around date changes on forms used to fix vote-by-mail ballots sent with incorrect or missing information. Known as “cure affidavits,” those documents used to fix mail ballots were due no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 5 — the day before the election. But affidavits released on Tuesday by the DOS show that documents from four different counties said the ballots could be returned by 5 p.m. on Thursday, which is not accurate.

Among those counties is Broward, which emerged as the epicenter of controversy as three statewide races and three local legislative races went into recounts following the Nov. 6 elections. Republicans have pointed to embattled Broward Elections chief Brenda Snipes' record of past election gaffes in arguing that the largely Democratic country is tilted against them — perhaps fraudulently so.

DOS officials have repeatedly told the media that the monitors they sent to Broward County saw no election fraud. It wasn't until Tuesday that the office revealed publicly that it had turned over information to federal prosecutors.

The information was sent on Nov. 9 by Bradley McVay, DOS’ interim general counsel, who asked that the altered dates be investigated.

“Altering a form in a manner that provides the incorrect date for a voter to cure a defect … imposes a burden on the voter significant enough to frustrate the voter’s ability to vote,” McVay wrote in a letter that was sent Nov. 9 and released publicly on Tuesday. The letter was sent to U.S. Attorneys Christopher P. Canova of the Northern District of Florida, Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida and Ariana Fajardo Orshan in the Southern District of Florida.

The records released by DOS, which is part of Gov. Rick Scott’s administration, point the finger at the Florida Democratic Party. Political parties can get daily lists of people who had their mail-in ballots rejected. Political parties — or anyone else — can also get the publicly available cure affidavits and send them to voters who had a mail-in ballot rejected to encourage them to fix the ballots.

Sauce: https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/11/13/federal-prosecutors-reviewing-altered-election-documents-tied-to-florida-democrats-695299