Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical CEO recently found guilty of securities fraud, said Tuesday that he was singled out by federal officials for being "flamboyant."
"In fact, the SEC told me so, which is really remarkable," he said on Fox Business.
"There was one very senior person at the SEC who has now left, he's at a big law firm, and he said to my lawyer that if I kept my mouth shut none of this would have happened," Shkreli added.
"I think it's a sad day in this country where just being a flamboyant and personable figure results in somebody saying, 'Oh, let's look at that guy's records and let's see what we have on him.'"
Shkreli was found guilty in early August of two counts of securities fraud and one of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
"I think those three charges are very vulnerable to attack," he said.
He added that his choice to "be himself" caused authorities to bypass due process and seize documents improperly.
"In this country, you get due process," he said.
"I'm the kind of person that tries to be himself," Shkreli said. "For better or worse, sometimes it has benefits. Sometimes it has drawbacks."
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