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Did Martin Shkreli Copy the $2 Million Wu-Tang Album and Send It to “50 Different Chicks”?

Shkreli’s “50 different chicks” remark is a recorded boast, not a verified recipient count. Here’s what the album’s sale, contract and lawsuit show.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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Martin Shkreli said in May 2024 that he had copied Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin and sent it to “like, 50 different chicks.” That number is his boast—not a verified count of recipients. PleasrDAO later cited the remark and other statements in a lawsuit alleging that Shkreli kept and shared album files after the sole physical copy was forfeited and sold. A federal judge ordered him to turn over copies and identify recipients while the case proceeded; that preliminary injunction was not a final ruling on every claim.

What Shkreli said about the album

In a May 13, 2024 podcast appearance, Shkreli said he had “burned the album and sent it to like, 50 different chicks[.]” The statement appears in PleasrDAO’s verified complaint, filed June 10, 2024. On the same podcast, the complaint says, he also asked, “You think I didn’t make a fucking copy of it? Are you joking?” PleasrDAO’s complaint, paragraphs 41–45

Those words are evidence of what Shkreli said, not independent proof that exactly 50 people received files. The complaint also quotes him claiming that “thousands of people have listened to it” and that he sent MP3s to people. It describes April 2024 posts in which he said he still had MP3s, played the album in his Discord server, and offered to email files to users. PleasrDAO further cited an X Spaces session that it said drew 4,900 listeners, based on X’s reported audience figure. These are allegations and attributed statements in the complaint, not an independently audited distribution record.

Why a “single-copy” album could still be copied

Wu-Tang conceived Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as a one-of-a-kind work, sold as a physical object rather than released through ordinary mass distribution. Shkreli bought it in 2015 for $2 million. A federal court opinion describes the purchase agreement as conveying a 50 percent interest in the copyrights and renewal copyrights in the recordings and compositions, alongside restrictions on duplication and exploitation for 88 years, subject to specified exceptions. The agreement permitted private duplication, while limiting other copying and uses. Federal court opinion

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So “single-copy” describes the project’s unusual sale and the uniqueness of the physical album; it does not mean the contract made every form of copying impossible. The legal dispute concerns what Shkreli was entitled to copy while he owned the album—and whether he could retain, use, or distribute copies after the album was forfeited and sold.

What happened to the physical album and who bought it

In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the government had sold the sole physical copy of the album on July 27. The proceeds were intended to satisfy Shkreli’s approximately $7.4 million forfeiture money judgment. DOJ said the sale contract kept both the buyer’s identity and the price confidential; its announcement did not identify PleasrDAO or state a sale amount. DOJ announcement, 2021

Ars Technica later identified PleasrDAO as the buyer and reported a $4.75 million purchase price. That figure is media reporting, not a price confirmed in DOJ’s public announcement. Ars Technica, 2024

What PleasrDAO alleged—and Shkreli’s reported response

PleasrDAO sued in June 2024, alleging that Shkreli retained album files and shared or streamed them after the forfeiture and sale. Its complaint argued that those actions violated protections connected with the forfeiture and harmed the album’s value. The complaint’s account of public posts and streams supports the plaintiff’s case as alleged; it does not, by itself, establish a final finding that each alleged act violated the law or the contract.

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Ars Technica reported Shkreli’s position that he had made copies while he owned the album and that the purchase agreement allowed him to do so. The disagreement therefore turns in part on the scope and continuing effect of the original agreement, and on what happened to any copies after the government sale.

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What the August 2024 order required

On August 26, 2024, a federal judge in Brooklyn issued a preliminary injunction. As reported by Ars Technica, the order barred Shkreli from possessing, using, disseminating, or selling interests in the album, including its data, files, or contents. It required him to turn over copies, swear that he no longer possessed any, and provide names and contact details for recipients, along with information about whether he had received money.

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A preliminary injunction is interim relief while litigation proceeds; it is not a final judgment resolving all of PleasrDAO’s claims or establishing a verified count of recipients. A 2025 legal analysis reported that the court allowed trade-secret claims to proceed at the motion-to-dismiss stage, which likewise is not a decision on the ultimate merits. ArentFox Schiff legal analysis, 2025

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What is established—and what remains unconfirmed

Question What the available record establishes
Did Shkreli say he sent the album to about 50 people? Yes. PleasrDAO’s verified complaint quotes his May 2024 podcast statement. It does not independently verify the number of recipients.
Did Shkreli buy the album for $2 million? A federal court opinion says he bought it in 2015 for $2 million.
Did the government sell the physical album? DOJ confirmed a July 2021 sale of the sole physical copy, but its announcement withheld the buyer and price.
Was PleasrDAO the buyer, and was the price $4.75 million? Ars Technica reported both details; DOJ’s announcement did not confirm them.
Did a court order Shkreli to turn over copies? Yes. A judge issued a preliminary injunction in August 2024 requiring turnover and recipient information. That interim order did not finally resolve the claims.
What was the final outcome of the lawsuit? Not established by the cited public accounts and filings summarized here.

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