Disgraced Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes’ Prison Sentence Delayed

Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ prison sentence has been delayed. She was supposed to begin her 11-year prison sentence on Thursday, but she has dodged prison once again thanks to an appeal filed against her conviction.

Holmes’ surrender date, which was scheduled for April 27, has been automatically delayed until the court rules on her appeal, under rules from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The delay comes five months after a federal judge sentenced the disgraced Theranos founder to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release, scheduling her surrender date for late April, after she had her baby. Holmes reacted to the sentencing by filing an appeal.

A few weeks ago, a federal judge denied the 39-year-old’s request to remain free on bail while she tries to appeal her conviction for wire fraud.

In January 2022, a jury found that Holmes defrauded investors out of more than $100 million involving a blood-testing device that did not actually work. She was subsequently convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Theranos’ blood-testing device, known as the Edison, did not work as advertised. Investors were told that the device needed only a few drops of blood to scan for hundreds of health problems.

Current tests generally each require a vial of blood, making it both slow and impractical to run more than a handful of patient tests at one time. Therefore, if the Edison had worked, it would have revolutionized health care by making it easier and cheaper to scan for early signs of disease and other health issues.

Holmes had boasted to investors about alleged breakthroughs, which were later proved to be untrue.