PanamaTimes

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Court orders Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to go to prison

Court orders Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to go to prison

A court has ruled that disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison on 30 May, while she appeals against her fraud conviction.
Holmes, 39, had asked a judge to remain free while she fought against her jail sentence for a blood-testing hoax.

She was sentenced to over 11 years in prison after a jury last year found her guilty of defrauding investors.

In a separate ruling, US District Judge Edward Davila also ordered Holmes to pay $452m (£364m) to victims.

She will split the multi-million dollar payment with her former romantic and business partner, ex-Theranos boss Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani.

The BBC has reached out to Holmes' attorneys for comment.

Balwani was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy last year. He began serving his sentence in April after losing his own attempt to remain free while appealing against his conviction.

The court has recommended Holmes serve her time behind bars at a federal minimum-security women's prison in Bryan, Texas.

Holmes had asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to delay her sentence days before she was supposed to report to prison last month.

The Theranos founder had said that she would raise "substantial questions" about her case that could warrant a new trial, an argument that Judge Davila had rejected.

"Contrary to her suggestion that accuracy and reliability were central issues to her convictions, Ms Holmes' misrepresentations to Theranos investors involved more than just whether Theranos technology worked as promised," he said at the time.

Holmes' attorneys also argued she should remain free while appealing against her case to care for her children.

The mother of two has been living in San Diego, California, with her partner, hotel heir William Evans, as well as their one-year-old son William and three-month-old daughter Invicta.

Once hailed as the "next Steve Jobs", Holmes was said to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

She started Theranos after dropping out of Stanford University. During her time leading the company, Holmes was able to raise millions of dollars from high-profile investors, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

But the start-up crashed in 2018 after investigations revealed its technology did not work. The blood-testing device was purported to be able to run a multitude of tests from just a few drops of blood.

The company's downfall was documented in a TV series, an HBO documentary and a podcast.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
In a highly politically motivated trial, Brazil’s Supreme Court finds former leader Bolsonaro guilty of plotting coup
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
Air Canada Begins Flight Cancellations Ahead of Flight Attendant Lockout
Southwest Airlines Apologizes After 'Accidentally Forgetting' Two Blind Passengers at New Orleans Airport and Faces Criticism Over Poor Service for Passengers with Disabilities
Mexico Extradites 26 Cartel Figures to the United States in Coordinated Security Operation
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Spain Scraps F-35 Jet Deal as Trump Pushes for More NATO Spending
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
California Clinic Staff Charged for Interfering with ICE Arrest
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Brazilian Congress Rejects Lula's Proposed Tax Increase on Financial Transactions
Landslide in Bello, Colombia, Results in Multiple Casualties
Papa Johns pizza surge near the Pentagon tipped off social media before Trump's decisive Iran strike
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Recounts Escape
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
×