Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Convicted of Fraud

After a week of deliberation, a jury returned a guilty verdict on four charges related to wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 4 min read

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A Theranos sign outside the company's headquarters

Image credit:©iStock.com, JasonDoiy

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Update (November 21): Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to just over 11 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding Theranos investors, The New York Times reports. Holmes, who plans to appeal her sentencing, must surrender to custody by April 27, 2023.

Update (July 7): Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani was convicted today on 12 counts of fraud related to his role in the Theranos scandal, a verdict more severe than that handed down to the company’s founder, Elizabeth Holmes, The New York Times reports. Balwani is expected to appeal.

Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of the blood testing company Theranos, was found guilty yesterday (January 3) of fraud, the latest development in a headline-grabbing saga that has spanned nearly two decades and been the subject of a book, a podcast, and a documentary. Her trial, held over almost four months in San Jose, California, was seen as ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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