Theranos sentencing – latest: Lawyers say jailing Elizabeth Homes would be ‘unnecessary’

Maroosha Muzaffar
·4 min read
1

The founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Homes, is set to appear for sentencing tomorrow in federal court in San Jose, California.

Prosecutors are demanding that she be sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in the company’s fraudulant claims.

Calling the case “one of the most substantial white collar offences Silicon Valley or any other district has seen,” prosecutors vehemently rejected defence attorneys’ characterisation that Holmes had been unfairly victimised, in part by media coverage.

She was convicted last year of three felony counts of wire fraud and one felony count of conspiracy to commit fraud. She faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Holmes’ lawyers have cast her as a scapegoat who overcame a toxic relationship to become a loving mother. They have argued that sending Holmes to prison was “unnecessary”.

“We acknowledge that this may seem a tall order given the public perception of this case especially when Ms Holmes is viewed as the caricature, not the person,” the court filing said earlier this week.

Key Points

Elizabeth Holmes trial: Everything you need to know about the Theranos founder

14:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors in her former blood-testing startup company, Theranos, concluding a trial that gripped both Silicon Valley and the international media outlets which initially helped propel her to stardom.

She has now requested a new trial just weeks before she was set to be sentenced, claiming that one of the key witnesses has acknowledged regrets about the proceedings.

Elizabeth Holmes trial: Everything you need to know about the Theranos founder

ICYMI: Elizabeth Holmes seeks new trial, cites key witness' regrets

13:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes requested a new trial earlier in September, asserting in a court filing that a key witness for the prosecution now regrets the role he played in her conviction for investor fraud and conspiracy related to her failed blood-testing startup.

Read the full story here:

Elizabeth Holmes seeks new trial, cites key witness' regrets

ICYMI: Judge declines to overturn Elizabeth Holmes guilty verdict

12:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A federal judge, in September, tentatively declined to overturn the jury conviction of disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy. That leaves the former Silicon Valley star a step closer to serving prison time.

Read the full story here:

Judge declines to overturn Elizabeth Holmes guilty verdict

ICYMI: Elizabeth Holmes’ bid for new trial takes hit as key witness stands by original testimony

11:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The sentencing of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was delayed.

The decision was made by US District Judge Edward Davila, Mr Davida reviewed claims raised by Holmes’s attorneys that the prosecution allegedly engaged in misconduct by forcing a key witness in her initial trial to give testimony that made “everyone look bad.”

Read more about what happened here:

Elizabeth Holmes’s sentencing delayed as prosecutors accused of ‘twisting’ testimony

Elizabeth Holmes trial: Everything you need to know about the Theranos founder

10:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors in her former blood-testing startup company, Theranos, concluding a trial that gripped both Silicon Valley and the international media outlets which initially helped propel her to stardom.

She has now requested a new trial just weeks before she was set to be sentenced, claiming that one of the key witnesses has acknowledged regrets about the proceedings.

Elizabeth Holmes trial: Everything you need to know about the Theranos founder

ICYMI: Elizabeth Holmes asks for leniency for her Theranos crimes

09:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is casting herself as a Silicon Valley scapegoat who overcame an abusive relationship to become a loving mother in an effort to avoid a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors in her failed blood-testing company.

In an 82-page document filed late Thursday, Holmes’ lawyers tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Edward Davila that sending Holmes to prison is unnecessary, partly because she has already been stigmatized by intense media coverage that has turned her into a “caricature to be mocked and vilified.”

Read the full story here:

Elizabeth Holmes asks for leniency for her Theranos crimes

Prosecutors push 15-year sentence for Theranos' CEO Holmes

08:44 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence disgraced Theranos CE0 Elizabeth Holmes to 15 years in prison, arguing she deserves a lengthy prison term because her massive scheme duped investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars by falsely convincing them her company had developed a revolutionary blood testing device.

Calling the case “one of the most substantial white collar offenses Silicon Valley or any other District has seen,” prosecutors vehemently rejected defense attorneys’ characterization that Holmes had been unfairly victimized, in part by media coverage.

Read the full story here:

Prosecutors push 15-year sentence for Theranos' CEO Holmes

08:05 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on Elizabeth Holmes’ sentencing.