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Deadline: Legal Blog

From Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace

How Martin Shkreli's pharma industry ban supports a Trump real estate ban

New York Attorney General Letitia James cited an appeals court's approval of Shkreli's ban as a judge considers whether to ban Trump from New York real estate.

By Jordan Rubin

While we await Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision in Donald Trump’s civil fraud case, another shady businessman made a cameo on the Trump docket: Martin Shkreli.

New York Attorney General Letitia James invoked the “Pharma Bro” after a federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a trial court’s order banning Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life. That’s relevant to Trump’s case because Engoron is considering James’ request that the former president be permanently banned from New York real estate. The attorney general wants that same treatment for former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and former Controller Jeffrey McConney, plus five-year bans for Trump’s adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

The Shkreli decision could bolster James’ effort against Trump and his civil co-defendants, giving Engoron more precedent to impose such a strong penalty. James is also seeking $370 million in the case that threatens the foundations of Trump's business empire. We’ll see if and how Shkreli’s ban plays a role in Engoron’s forthcoming ruling.

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Jordan Rubin

Jordan Rubin is the Deadline: Legal Blog writer. He was a prosecutor for the New York County District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and is the author of “Bizarro," a book about the secret war on synthetic drugs. Before he joined MSNBC, he was a legal reporter for Bloomberg Law.