London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 30, 2026

Court orders Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to go to prison

Court orders Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to go to prison

A court has ruled that disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison on 30 May, while she appeals against her fraud conviction.
Holmes, 39, had asked a judge to remain free while she fought against her jail sentence for a blood-testing hoax.

She was sentenced to over 11 years in prison after a jury last year found her guilty of defrauding investors.

In a separate ruling, US District Judge Edward Davila also ordered Holmes to pay $452m (£364m) to victims.

She will split the multi-million dollar payment with her former romantic and business partner, ex-Theranos boss Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani.

The BBC has reached out to Holmes' attorneys for comment.

Balwani was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy last year. He began serving his sentence in April after losing his own attempt to remain free while appealing against his conviction.

The court has recommended Holmes serve her time behind bars at a federal minimum-security women's prison in Bryan, Texas.

Holmes had asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to delay her sentence days before she was supposed to report to prison last month.

The Theranos founder had said that she would raise "substantial questions" about her case that could warrant a new trial, an argument that Judge Davila had rejected.

"Contrary to her suggestion that accuracy and reliability were central issues to her convictions, Ms Holmes' misrepresentations to Theranos investors involved more than just whether Theranos technology worked as promised," he said at the time.

Holmes' attorneys also argued she should remain free while appealing against her case to care for her children.

The mother of two has been living in San Diego, California, with her partner, hotel heir William Evans, as well as their one-year-old son William and three-month-old daughter Invicta.

Once hailed as the "next Steve Jobs", Holmes was said to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

She started Theranos after dropping out of Stanford University. During her time leading the company, Holmes was able to raise millions of dollars from high-profile investors, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

But the start-up crashed in 2018 after investigations revealed its technology did not work. The blood-testing device was purported to be able to run a multitude of tests from just a few drops of blood.

The company's downfall was documented in a TV series, an HBO documentary and a podcast.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Prince Harry Faces Significant Legal Costs After Insurance Shortfall
FirstGroup Sells Rail Software Business to Tracsis for £48 Million
Victoria and Albert Museum Staff Vote for Strike Action
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Contract Killing Plot in Britain
Royal Mail Raises Bulk Mailing Prices by 30%
Immigration Remains Britain's Top Public Concern, Ipsos Survey Finds
Prime Minister Says Social Care Reform Must Precede Assisted Dying Legislation
Ofgem Proposes Steep Grid Connection Charges for New Data Centers
Major Cyberattack Compromises UK Education and Police Data
Government Reviews Jurisdiction Over Crimes Involving US Military Personnel
England Declares Widespread Drought After Record Dry July
UK Commits £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Program
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
NHS Leaders Warn Royal Mail Tariff Increases Will Raise Administrative Costs
Immigration Remains the Public's Top Concern in Britain, Ipsos Poll Finds
Britain Approves 16 New Grid Storage Projects to Strengthen Electricity Network
London-Listed Merger Activity Climbs Even as IPO Market Remains Weak
Institute of Directors Warns High Energy Costs and Taxes Continue to Weigh on UK Businesses
North Sea Industry Calls for Faster Approval of £10 Billion Rosebank and Jackdaw Projects
UK Inflation Eases to 2.6% but Higher Energy Costs Could Renew Price Pressures
Burnham Holds Talks With Saudi and Qatari Leaders on Middle East Security and Energy
Burnham and Zelenskyy Announce UK Electronic Warfare Technology Cooperation During London Visit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Launches Cross-Party Push for Social Care Reform in England
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
×