The world became a more dangerous place this week with the release of two formerly imprisoned criminal fraudsters: Billy McFarland, the prevaricating promoter of the catastrophic Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, and Martin Shkreli, the price-gouging pharmacy exec whose trollish tweets seem to have been an inspiration to Elon musk. Both gentlemen were released long before their full sentences, and both will stay in halfway houses.
Shkreli was convicted in August of 2017 of lying to investors about the financial performance of his hedge fund. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. Shkreli, who gained notoriety for jacking up the price of a lifesaving drug by 4,000 percent, has been dubbed the "Pharma bro." He has also been criticized for his online antics, including trolling critics and offering a $5,000 bounty for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair.
McFarland was convicted in March of 2018 of wire fraud and making false statements to investors. He was sentenced to six years in prison. The Fyre Festival, which was promoted as a luxury music festival on a private island, turned into a disaster, with attendees stranded without food or shelter. McFarland has been criticized for his excessive lifestyle and for fleecing investors.
Both gentlemen were released long before their full sentences, and both will stay in halfway houses. They have both proven themselves to be dishonest and untrustworthy, and there's no reason to believe that they've changed their ways. Once they leave the halfway houses my 5-points of advice are as follows:
- Do not give them any money
- Do not trust anything they say
- Do not go to any events they are promoting
- Do not buy any products they are selling
- Do not follow them on social media
