Jury Could Have Martin Shkreli Verdict As Soon As Friday

now that former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli has decided not to testify in his own defense, the jury could reach a verdict as soon as Friday afternoon. Closing arguments are beginning Thursday, as Shkreli lawyer Benjamin Brafman bets that he poked enough holes in the prosecution’s case to give his client a reasonable shot at a ‘not guilty’ verdict.
After the defense let its case rest without calling any witnesses or producing any evidence, Shkreli’s lawyers lost a long-shot bid to get their client off by motioning for the judge to drop the charges on the grounds that the eight-count indictment included ‘insufficient evidence.’ The bid was quickly rejected, according to CNBC.
‘The rejection sets the stage for a very long, full day of closing arguments in the case by prosecutors and Shkreli’s lawyers Thursday, with those arguments only expected to wrap up Friday morning.
Jurors could then begin deliberations later Friday, exactly one month after opening arguments were made in the trial.’
Meanwhile, in an ill-timed release (though it presumably won’t influence the jury, which has been instructed to avoid Shkreli-related media), New York State listed Shkreli as No. 14 on its July list of the biggest tax delinquents in the state, claiming he owes $4 million.

This post was published at Zero Hedge on Jul 27, 2017.