Elizabeth Holmes Tried to ‘Flee’ to Mexico After Conviction, Prosecutors Say

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes made an “attempt to flee the country” last year with a one-way ticket to Mexico after being found guilty of defrauding investors who backed her fake blood testing company, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Holmes, 38, was found guilty of fraud last January, and prosecutors sounded the alarm later that month after learning she bought a plane ticket to Mexico on January 26 without a scheduled return flight, according to the filing.

“It wasn’t until the government reported this unauthorized flight to the defense attorney that the trip was canceled,” the statement said, according to CNN.

In a new document, prosecutors say Holmes, who has been living in luxury on a $13,000-a-month estate while she appeals her sentence, should finally start serving her 135-month sentence.

“The incentive to escape has never been greater,” prosecutors said, and Holmes “has the means to act on that incentive.”

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California.
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California.
Getty Images
Elizabeth Holmes in court
Holmes was ordered to begin serving his 11-year sentence in April.
AP

According to the documents, Holmes’ attorney emailed prosecutors and said the plane ticket was purchased prior to the sentencing over a friend’s wedding in Mexico. The lawyer said that Holmes hoped she would be found not guilty and be able to attend the event.

A federal judge ordered Holmes, who is pregnant with her second child, to begin serving her sentence on April 27.

Holmes’ lawyers argued that she should be allowed to remain on bail during her appeal because it would raise “substantial issues” in her case that could lead to a new trial.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes
Holmes’ lawyers said the tickets were purchased prior to her conviction for a friend’s wedding.
Peter DaSilva/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

However, the feds insisted on their own, saying that “the time has come” for Holmes to appear in prison.

Holmes was found guilty in January of nearly $1 billion in investor fraud at her now-defunct blood testing company and sentenced to 135 months in prison in November.

Theranos, a blood testing start-up once valued at more than $9 billion, collapsed in 2015 after a Wall Street Journal investigation found the company’s technology couldn’t perform with the precision and capability Holmes had promised.

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Back to top button