Feds: Witnesses Fear Retaliation From Ex-pharma CEO Martin Shkreli

Several witnesses in a securities fraud case against pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli are concerned he will retaliate if they testify against him, U.S. prosecutors say in a court filing.

Pharmaceutical chief Martin Shkreli listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2016, during the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on his former company's decision to raise the price of a lifesaving medicine. Shkreli refused to testify before U.S. lawmakers who excoriated him over severe hikes for a drug sold by a company that he acquired. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

NEW YORK—Several witnesses in a securities fraud case against pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli are concerned he will retaliate if they testify against him, U.S. prosecutors say in a court filing.

Federal prosecutors in New York are asking a judge delay a civil lawsuit that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought against Shkreli until after his criminal case plays out. They fear that if Shkreli is allowed to take depositions in the civil case, he will have access to information that isn’t normally disclosed until the late stages of a criminal case.

Here, there is evidence that defendant Shkreli has taken steps to intimidate or threaten individuals in the past.

— Prosecutors