The U.S. government has sold the unreleased, one-off Wu-Tang Clan album purchased by Martin Shkreli in 2015, according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Shkreli reportedly acquired the album in 2015 for $2 million USD. A former pharmaceutical executive, he gained widespread media condemnation for hiking up the price of a critical medication by 5,000 percent. In 2018, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud and was required to forfeit approximately $7.4 million USD in assets.
On Monday, the DOJ said that it had sold Once Upon a Time in Shaolin in connection to his sentencing and that proceeds from the sale would be applied to the judgment against him. Information related to the buyer of the album or its sale price remain confidential.
“Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Jacquelyn Kasulis said. "With today’s sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete."
The album is described in the press release as “both a work of art and an audio artifact," and includes a "hand-carved nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity." Shkreli previously sought to sell the album through an online auction prior to its seizure by the U.S. government.
In other Wu-Tang Clan news, the group's "Wu-Tang Clan Experience" is set to take place on August 13.
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