Elizabeth Holmes Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

A California Court sentenced the disgraced founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, to more than 11 years in prison. Holmes is notorious for running a fraudulent blood-testing company founded in 2003. The company produced and went to market with blood testing machines they claimed were smaller, cheaper, and more convenient than traditional blood-testing mechanisms. What Holmes failed to share was that the machines she claimed could work off of just one drop of blood were producing highly inaccurate diagnoses.

Holmes’ trial was highly publicized in January after two whistleblowers publicized a company culture filled with lies, fraud, and deceptive practices with shareholders. The court convicted Holmes of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy, totaling a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Her business partner, Sunny Balwani, was similarly tried and convicted of fraud.

The story of Holmes’ downfall was chronicled in a best-selling book, multiple documentaries, and a Hulu series. While her rise to fame left Holmes a household name, her future includes a 135-month prison sentence.

The highly anticipated sentence serves as a warning to other Silicon Valley hopefuls that there is a line between “faking it till you make it” and fraud.