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On Monday, April 10, a judge denied Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' request to stay out of prison. In November 2022, Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors. Holmes' company, Theranos, had allegedly misrepresented its capabilities in carrying out blood tests using lower volumes of blood than their investors. Despite attempting to appeal the conviction, officials announced that Holmes will begin her prison sentence on April 27.
According to prosecutors, this is not Elizabeth Holmes' first attempt to avoid a prison sentence. In January, she bought a one-way ticket to Mexico in what initially appeared to be an attempt to flee the country. In a court ruling, US District Judge Edward Davila stated that while it may not have been an attempt to flee, the move did the convicted fraudster no favors. Davila ultimately stated that Holmes was not a flight risk.
Officials discuss Elizabeth Holmes' attempts to avoid a prison sentence
In March 2021, Elizabeth Holmes requested that her trial be delayed as she was pregnant. She said that she would like to remain free in order to appeal her conviction. Her attorneys also argued that this would be necessary as she had to care for her two young children.
In an official statement, prosecutors said that Elizabeth Holmes' January attempt to book a flight to Mexico brought her under intense scrutiny. Davila said that according to Holmes, she booked the flight because she believed her appeal would ultimately go through.
In response, Davila said that even if she was able to appeal the accuracy surrounding the evidence used against her, there were other factors in the case. Davila said that the claims Theranos made about the capabilities of their blood-testing resources were undoubtedly false.
He said:
"Contrary to her suggestion that accuracy and reliability were central issues to her convictions, Ms. Holmes's misrepresentations to Theranos investors involved more than just whether Theranos technology worked as promised."
Davila implied that Holmes' attempts to book a flight may have been an indication of overconfidence. Holmes' attorney, Lance Wade, claimed that the Theranos founder intended to fly to Mexico for a friend's wedding.
Davila wrote in the filing:
"Booking international travel plans for a criminal defendant in anticipation of a complete defense victory is a bold move, and the failure to promptly cancel those plans after a guilty verdict is a perilously careless oversight."
As per BBC, Holmes' conviction shocked the tech world. She was once recognized as a prodigy, having dropped out of Stanford to launch Theranos with long-time business partner and alleged ex-lover Ramesh Balwani. Balwani was also sentenced to 13-years for fraud last year.
