The Department Of Justice isn’t in possession of Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album. A senior Justice Department official told VICE News that “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli hasn’t turned over the rare LP as he appeals his conviction for security fraud.
“The Wu-Tang album is not in our possession,” the official said. “Forfeiture has been stayed in the Shkreli case pending his appeal of the conviction. And we may never seize the album if, after he loses his appeal, he writes a check to cover his forfeiture obligation.”
A federal judge ordered Shkreli to forfeit $7.36 million, which included possessions such as Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. Since Shkreli’s lawyer claimed he was “cash broke,” the album became part of some substitute assets to satisfy the amount owed to the U.S. government.
(The original version of this article was published on March 5, 2018 and can be found below.)
Martin Shkreli must give up the lone copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album. U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto ordered the infamous “Pharma Bro” to forfeit $7.36 million — including the LP — to the federal government as a result of his fraud conviction, according to CNBC.
The Wu-Tang Clan album is part of a set of “substitute assets” that Shkreli will forfeit to satisfy the amount owed. His copy of Lil Wayne’s unreleased Tha Carter V is also among these assets, which include a Pablo Picasso painting and $5 million from an E-Trade account used to secure his bail.
The seizure of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin comes after the project made headlines yet again in 2017 when Shkreli attempted to auction it off on eBay. Although there were serious offers to purchase the album, as previously reported by HipHopDX, no sale occurred and Shkreli maintained ownership of the LP.
This one-of-a-kind album, which was spearheaded by Wu-Tang affiliate Cilvaringz, was originally purchased by Shkreli for $2 million in 2015. The project’s ultimately unsuccessful sale on eBay last year had a winning bid of over $1 million.
Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in August 2017. His sentencing takes place on Friday (March 9).
Lmao….what does not even mean? I tell you, you dont own anything in the U.S cash or credit
But still the hell with him, he deserves it
It means if you scam people out of money Uncle Sam will dig in your ass for reparations.
Obtain things legally if you want to keep them.
Man you think you know whats going on…this scum bag was selling the cure fpr aids and they shut him down…but he is an a-hole so nobody cares, amd plus what did he obtain illegally, The album? He used his own money. And i sure hope you’re not talking about his charges, then you’d be talking about shit you dont know
Perhaps you should take your own advice and not talk about shit you know nothing about. He raised the price of a drug used to treated malaria and AIDS related infections from around 10 bucks a pill to over 700 bucks a pill. It wasn’t the cure for AIDS, moron. But it doesn’t matter because his arrest and conviction was for securities fraud, which is completely unrelated to that. He made his fortune by lying, deceiving, stealing, and abusing others and is going to prison for it. So yes, the album was purchased with illegal funds.
cure for AIDS…. smh
The feds are about to put this album in either the Library of Congress or a museum or some ish. Wu-Tang in the Smithsonian, imagine that! At the same time, though — the album was so hyped, it would be nearly impossible to live up to expectations. As an avid listener, I’m just glad the Wu continues to put out music. Saga Continues is dope, Don’t Sit On The Speakers is super dope.
Maybe the orange alien will leak it…
Wu-Tang Forever
Yes! Now the album can be heard by real wu tang fans. I listened to 4 songs on the album and it was the typical wu bangaz. Cilverings should produced more. The 4 songs i listened to sound alien. In other words, it’s a new version of 36 chambers that i never heard of before.
Haha no it wont they didnt release it to the “fans” originaly cause the “fans” are a buncha broke ass bitches who dont have enough respect to spend money on the wutang albums so they showed disrespect to the fans by making an album that only a super fan with the money could ever hear
What you’re saying is not true. The wu tang and most hip hop acts do not get radio play unlike migos and the rest of the trash. If hip hop was played on the radio again, then their album sales would go back up. Pretty much all real hip hop music is down. Junk rap rules the radio today so they get most of the sales and the awards. Junk rap doesn’t deserve this recognition but the corporations don’t care about real music. Its easier to sell junk rap than the real rap.
i wanna hear this album as much as anyone else but CILVARINGS is a fuckin waste, one the heads that lead to the wu dropping diluted tunes
Throw the key away
Like the old sayin goes… WU-TANG CLAN ain’t nuthin to FUCK WIT ! ??
Ahh a fraud conviction sounds perfect for this wannabe bitch ass thug lol god damn peewee herman lookin motherfucker
karma mother fucker
Sentencing AND a new common album this friday? Epic weekend on the way!
This dude and glo rambo should collab up
In this comment section: a bunch of people who hate Shkreli because the media told them to and they can’t look into what actually happened.
#FreeShkreli
STFU, the man played the villain and got his ass caught up. Stop trying to be that one loser that has to be different. its not always a good thing.
FREE SHKRELLAVELLI.
Stop.
This clown will give it up to the FEDS or face more jail time