Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced Friday to more than 11 years in prison. Elizabeth Holmes, was Theranos CEO throughout the company’s turbulent 15-year history.
She was charged for duping investors in a failed startup that promised to revolutionize blood testing. However, it instead made her a symbol of Silicon Valley ambition that veered into deceit.
The 38-year-old faced a maximum of 20 years in prison. Her legal team requested no more than 18 months, preferably served in home confinement. She is a mother a a year-old-son with another child on the way.
The Theranos technology never worked, and the claims were false. Theranos was dashed “by misrepresentations, hubris and just plain lies,” the judge said. “This case is so troubling on so many levels,” U.S District Judge Edward Davila said. “What was it that caused Ms. Holmes to make the decisions she did? Was there a loss of a moral compass?”
Holmes sobbed as she told the judge she accepted responsibility for her actions. “I regret my failings with every cell of my body,” Holmes said. She promised Davila she would devote the remainder of her life to trying to help others. She finally was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for the “white collar scheme.”