Theranos verdict – Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to long prison – News

  • The founder of the biotech start-up Theranos was sentenced to eleven years and three months in prison in San Jose.
  • Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors earlier this year.
  • According to US media, the 38-year-old will appeal the verdict.

Federal Judge Edward Davila delivered the verdict against Elizabeth Holmes in San Jose, California. The founder of the biontech company Theranos was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for defrauding investors. Earlier this year, Holmes was found guilty of four out of eleven charges.

Legend:

The 38-year-old appeared in court with her family and partner Billy Evans.

Reuters/Brittany Hosea-Small

Elizabeth Holmes wanted to revolutionize the healthcare industry with her blood testing company. This promise turned out to be a bluff, with which investors had been deliberately deceived. Holmes has always denied allegations of fraud against the company, saying she genuinely believed in the technology.

The Story of Theranos


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Theranos is a start-up company that wanted to simplify blood testing. Just a few drops of blood should suffice as a sample. Investors loved the idea, and Theranos was valued at around $9 billion at one point.

In 2015 the supposed empire began to crumble. More and more allegations were made that the technology would not work. Theranos apparently secretly used traditional testing methods, which led to fraud charges in 2018.

The prosecutor and the defense differed widely in their demands for sentences. While prosecutor Jeff Schenk thought 15 years was appropriate, 18 months of house arrest would have been sufficient, according to attorney Holmes. Because Elizabeth Holmes would not have acted out of greed. However, the federal judge decided on a high sentence. According to the judge, the lack of an admission of guilt had a negative effect.

Delayed entry into prison

Elizabeth Holmes does not have to start her prison sentence until April 27 next year. The 38-year-old is currently pregnant, which means that her stay behind bars has been postponed. According to US media, the convict has already declared that she will appeal the court’s decision.

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