A federal judge sentenced former pharmaceutical executive and hedge-fund manager Martin Shkreli to seven years in prison Friday following his earlier conviction on three of eight counts of securities and wire fraud charges.

According to reporters present in the Brooklyn courtroom, Shkreli gave an emotional and tearful speech prior to his sentencing, taking blame and responsibility for his actions and saying he had changed as a person since his conviction. US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto reportedly handed him a box of tissues and took a lengthy amount of time reviewing his transgressions and history.

The sentencing caps a long, public saga for Shkreli, who is widely reviled for drastically raising the price of a cheap, decades-old drug, as well as provocative and offensive online antics, including harassing women.

His reputation and behavior was an issue during the fraud trial and jury selection. In court today, Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, reportedly asked the judge not to hand down a long sentence to Shkreli simply "because he's Martin Shkreli."

After five full days of deliberations last year, a jury found Shkreli guilty on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Shkreli faced up to 20 years in prison, and federal prosecutors argued for a sentence of 15 years, reportedly calling him "dangerous" in court today.

With today's sentencing, Shkreli is headed back to jail. Though Shkreli initially posted $5 million in bail after his 2015 arrest, Judge Matsumoto ordered him to prison to await sentencing in September of last year following more online antics. In a Facebook post, he had offered followers $5,000 to pluck a hair from Hillary Clinton. Shkreli tried to pass it off in court as an awkward joke, but Judge Matsumoto called the move a "solicitation of assault."

Shkreli reportedly plans to appeal his conviction. Because he has already spent approximately six months in prison, his remaining time to serve is six and a half years.