Martin Shkreli, Who Raised An HIV Drug 5,000 Percent, Goes To Trial, Faces 20 Years In Jail

Martin Shkreli is set to stand trial in a New York federal court Monday for security fraud. The notorious former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals has been accused of running a Ponzi scheme and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

In addition to security fraud, the 34-year-old is accused of wire fraud, conspiracy, and mismanaging money at his investment funds Elea Capital, MSMB Capital, MSMB Healthcare, as well as while CEO of Retrophin (RTRX), the pharmaceutical company he founded in 2011.

The prosecution alleges that he cheated investors out of more than $11 million between 2009 and 2014.

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Part of the drama that surrounds the case is that Shkreli has taken on an internet persona that leads some to call him the "most hated" person on the internet. The persona includes him regularly live-streaming parts of his life and vilified on social media as a "pharma bro."

Shkreli's lawyer Ben Brafman took a hands-off approach to his client. Brafman, in an email to CNN Friday said that he "would prefer that Mr. Shkreli not live stream during trial," but that his client "did not intentionally violate the law [and] is confident he will be acquitted‎.

"While I can control his conduct in the courtroom, I cannot control his life nor do I have the right to interfere with his personal life," Brafman continued.

Throughout the process, Shkreli has maintained his innocence.

"I’m so innocent, the jury, judge and the prosecution are gonna give me an apology," he said in a recent live stream, according to a New York Times report that said several live streams available earlier this week had been taken down by the midweek.

At the hearing Monday, Brafman said Shkreli didn't defraud the investors because they ultimately got their money back. Prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis argued that fraud can mean "depriving investors of a right to control their assets."

“There is law here, there are rules, they apply to Mr. Shkreli,” she said.

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One reason Shkreli maintains infamy is that he flaunts his extravagant wealth. He owns a Picasso painting and bought the only copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" for $2 million in 2015. He later leaked the album to celebrate Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 election.

He also is known for publically getting in trouble on the internet. In May, he harassed a journalist from Teen Vogue on Twitter until he was banned from the social media platform.

Shkreli's infamy rocket shot after increasing the price of Daraprim, a drug used by AIDS patients, by over 5,000 percent in 2015 while he was the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, sparking widespread outrage. The increase raised the price of a single pill of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750. He resigned from Turing after being arrested in December 2015 for the alleged security fraud.