It has been reported that the U.S. government has sold the infamous unreleased Wu-Tang Clan Album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. The album was originally purchased by former hedge fund manager and fraud convict, Martin Shkreli in 2015.
Shkreli reportedly bought the album for $2 million USD. A former pharmaceutical executive, he gained widespread media attention when he hiked up the price of Daraprima to 5,000 percent. In 2018, Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud following the incident and required to give up $7.4 million USD in his assets.
On Monday, the DOJ announced that it had sold Once Upon a Time in Shaolin in connection to the case and the sale would be applied to the judgment against Shkreli. Information related to the buyer of the album or its sale price remains 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,” 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.”
In a press release, the DOJ describes the album 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.