OAKLAND; Attorney General on Oct. 13, 2026 joined the Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan coalition of seven attorneys general in asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to find Martin Shkreli in civil contempt for violating a 2022 Permanent Injunction that bans him for life from participating in the pharmaceutical industry, the attorney general’s office said.

The attorney general’s office said the 2022 Opinion and Order found Shkreli liable for $64.6 million in excess profits and imposed a lifetime ban that prohibits him from acquiring or holding an ownership interest in a pharmaceutical company or from directly or indirectly influencing or controlling pharmaceutical companies; the motion filed Tuesday alleges Shkreli has traded pharmaceutical company stocks, given investing advice and broadcast opinions about the management and business of many pharmaceutical companies via social media.

The filing asks the court for specific sanctions; the coalition proposes divestment of any pharmaceutical ownership interests, a monetary fine equal to Shkreli’s profits from violating the injunction since Feb. 4, 2022 plus pre-judgment interest, a complete sworn accounting of his trading and a sworn financial statement, appointment of an auditor at Shkreli’s expense and escalating consequences for noncompliance that could include fines and incarceration.

Bonta said in the release, “Martin Shkreli showed complete disregard for lives when he orchestrated a scheme to increase the price of lifesaving medication by more than 4,000%. California took him to court, and he was appropriately banned for life from conducting business in the pharmaceutical industry.”

The motion was filed with the FTC and the attorneys general of Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the attorney general’s office said; if the court finds contempt and orders the proposed remedies, Shkreli could be forced to divest holdings and pay fines and the court could impose additional penalties to prevent further violations.

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Rob Bonta

Attorney General · Democrat

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