Notorious pharma exec Martin Shkreli, most famous for trying to rip off AIDS patients, has been banned from Twitter for harassing a female journalist.
Turing Pharmaceuticals founder Martin Shkreli came under fire in 2015 after buying the rights to 62-year-old drug Daraprim, which is used to treat conditions including AIDS-related toxoplasmosis, and jacking up the price to $750 a pill - a 5500% price.
Shkreli was removed as the company's CEO after he was arrested over unrelated fraud allegations, but has maintained a media profile as a Donald Trump supporter.
Yesterday, Shkreli was banned from Twitter after encouraging a harassment campaign against Teen Vogue journalist Lauren Duca, who had written a piece critical of the President-elect.
He sent her tweets offering her a date to Trump's inauguration and joked about his "small crush on @laurenduca" before the harassment got out of hand.
Ms Duca complained to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey after discovering that Shkreli had downloaded dozens of photos of her and made them into a collage, also photoshopping himself over a picture of her husband and setting it as his profile picture.
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed: "The Twitter Rules prohibit targeted harassment, and we will take action on accounts violating those policies."
Shkreli appeared before Congress earlier this year - but refused to answer nearly every question that was put to him.
Asked about his actions, he said: "On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, and respectfully decline your question."
Asked about AIDS patients struggling to afford their medication, he said: "On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, and respectfully decline your question."
When challenged about his refusal to cooperate, he told a lawmaker: "I intend to follow the advice of my counsel, not yours."
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