BRYAN, Texas — The judge who oversaw the trial of Elizabeth Holmes has recommended the former Theranos CEO serve her over 11 year sentence in a minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan.
Holmes was convicted for duping investors in a startup that aimed to revolutionize blood testing and promise detection of a multitude of diseases and medical conditions from just a few drops of blood.
However, the technologies that were being produced by Theranos were reportedly producing misleading results, which soon came to light. In 2015, The Wall Street Journal exposed the fraudulent practices going on at the company.
In 2018, the company collapsed after 15 years of operation.
Many recommendations on how much time Holmes should serve for her actions were made during her trial, with her own legal team requesting her incarceration be limited to no more than 18 months for the soon-to-be mother of two children, preferably in home confinement. Holmes is currently pregnant with her second child.
Federal prosecutors requested Holmes be handed a 15-year jail sentence, while Holmes' probation officer reportedly requested she serve nine years behind bars. While the requested sentence by prosecutors was shorter than the 20-year maximum sentence that could be handed down, she was eventually sentenced to 135 months in prison -- a little over 11 years.
A future hearing that has not been scheduled is set to determine if and potentially how much in restitution Holmes will have to pay to investors who confided in Theranos and their technologies.
Ramesh “Sunny" Balwani, a former top executive at Theranos that was closely tied with the fraudulent case, is also set to be sentenced on Dec. 7.
The FPC Bryan, where the former Theranos CEO is set to serve her time, only houses female inmates but allows for frequent family visitation, a commodity not offered at other tightly secured prisons.
According to a court document, her prison time is set to begin on May 30, 2023.