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Martin Shkreli suspended from Twitter after harassing Teen Vogue journalist

Twitter confirmed the temporary suspension on Sunday afternoon

Justin Carissimo
New York
Sunday 08 January 2017 20:55 GMT
Martin Shkreli leaves after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill February 4, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Martin Shkreli leaves after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill February 4, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty)

Martin Shkreli was suspended from Twitter on Sunday after repeatedly sending messages to Teen Vogue’s weekend editor Lauren Duca in an unsuccessful attempt to date her.

After sending unreciprocated direct messages to Duca last week, Shkreli changed his Twitter bio on Sunday to read: “also i have a small crush on @laurenduca (hope she doesn’t find out).” He also changed his Twitter header to a collage featuring images of Duca and changed his default image to a photo of Duca sitting with her husband — with his face Photoshopped onto the husband's body.

Duca and her followers reached out to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey questioning why he was allowed to openly harass her on the social network. Shkreli responded directly to her tweet, saying, “dont [sic] disrespect the sovereignty of my love for you. your [sic] being unfair.”

At one point, he claimed to have purchased the domain "marrymelauren.com."

In separate tweets, he attempted to defend the collage by saying it was made by fans because Duca is famous. “My fans send me this stuff. I don’t make it," he claimed. "I do admire Lauren though. If she doesn’t like it she can DM me or block me.”

After word of his suspension, Duca seemed pleased with Twitter’s decision. “He’s an entitled creep and absolutely deserves to have his account suspended,” she told BuzzFeed News, “perhaps indefinitely.”

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