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Jurors set to hear closing arguments in ‘Pharma Bro’ case

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2015, file photo, Martin Shkreli, center, the former hedge fund manager under fire for buying a pharmaceutical company and ratcheting up the price of a life-saving drug, is escorted by law enforcement agents in New York after being taken into custody following a securities probe. Jurors heard testimony from the government's last witness on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, a day after Shkreli's lawyer told the court his client won't take the witness stand during his securities fraud trial. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File) FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2015, file photo, Martin Shkreli, center, the former hedge fund manager under fire for buying a pharmaceutical company and ratcheting up the price of a life-saving drug, is escorted by law enforcement agents in New York after being taken into custody following a securities probe. Jurors heard testimony from the government's last witness on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, a day after Shkreli's lawyer told the court his client won't take the witness stand during his securities fraud trial. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

By Associated Press July 27, 2017 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – A jury is set to hear closing arguments at the securities fraud trial of former biotech CEO and social media provocateur Martin Shkreli (SHKREL’-ee).

The arguments are scheduled for Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, with deliberations expected to begin as early as Friday.

Prosecutors say Shkreli is a con man who repeatedly lied to rich investors in two hedge funds he ran into the ground. The defense says he’s a misunderstood “genius” who ended up making money for his alleged victims.

Before his 2015 arrest, Shkreli was best known for jacking up the cost of a life-saving drug and trolling his critics on the internet, earning the nickname “Pharma Bro.”

In a recent Facebook post, the 34-year-old defendant called the case “bogus.”