A federal judge issued a partial gag order against Martin Shkreli on Wednesday morning, after prosecutors complained about him mouthing off in court.
Prosecutors asked Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to muzzle Shkreli after he wandered into a viewing room for reporters on Friday and offered commentary on witnesses, evidence, and the prosecution team.
Shkreli told reporters on Friday that a witness he's accused of defrauding was “no victim.” He also criticized prosecutors, calling them the junior varsity squad—an apparent reference to the long-standing competition between New York’s Southern and Eastern districts.
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“I was shocked that there were these comments, these statements,” Matsumoto scolded Shkreli's attorneys. “Any juror could have heard that.”
Matsumoto asked the lawyers to get Shkreli to agree to stop commenting on the case on courthouse grounds and immediately outside the building. They said he agreed, their latest promise to keep the unruly Shkreli under control.
Not content with a mere promise this time, Matsumoto entered the ruling as a judicial order.
Prosecutors claimed in a Monday filing that Shkreli was circumventing Twitter’s ban against him and posting under a new account, @BLMBro.
The account was suspended by Wednesday morning. Shkreli was kicked off Twitter earlier this year after harassing a female reporter.
