Elizabeth Holmes' Prison Sentence Is Finally Clear

Former Silicon Valley success Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced for defrauding investors of her failed biotech startup Theranos. According to The Guardian, Holmes, who founded Theranos in 2003, was first charged on multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2018 after a Wall Street Journal exposé revealed that Theranos was not living up to its claims of accurate blood testing. "This indictment alleges a corporate conspiracy to defraud financial investors," FBI agent John Bennett said. "This conspiracy misled doctors and patients about the reliability of medical tests that endangered health and lives." Though the trial was initially set to start in 2020, it was pushed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 2022 — after a 15-week long trial — Holmes was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to defraud investors and three wire fraud counts. At the time, CNN reported that Holmes' guilty verdict could get her up to 20 years in prison sentence and a fine up to $1 million. "The guilty verdicts in this case reflect Ms. Holmes' culpability in this large-scale investor fraud, and she must now face sentencing for her crimes," prosecuting attorney Stephanie Hinds said at the time. Now, Holmes is set to start paying for her crimes, as she now knows her punishment.

On November 18, 2022, Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison — 11.25 years, to be exact. In addition to the prison sentence, Holmes must pay $400 in fines, per CNN. According to the outlet, along with restitution and probation, prosecuting counsel requested to have Holmes sentenced to 15 years in prison. Though Holmes has been ordered to turn herself into custody on April 27, 2023, the former Silicon Valley CEO is expected to appeal her conviction. Speaking before her sentence, Holmes expressed regret over her failure to make Theranos as great as she wanted. "I'm so, so sorry. I gave everything I had to build our company and to save our company," she said, per CNN. "I regret my failings with every cell in my body."

Since news of her sentence broke, social media has been abuzz with varying opinions about Holmes' sentence. While some believe her sentence doesn't fit the crime, others think otherwise. "Dear Elizabeth Holmes. Do the crime, do the time," one person tweeted. "Very happy with the 11-year prison sentence given to Elizabeth Holmes," another user wrote.