Why Was Heavily Pregnant Elizabeth Holmes Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison?

A federal judge has sentenced Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO of Theranos, to 11 years in prison for cheating investors of millions of dollars.

Holmes, 38, who is pregnant, sobbing as US federal judge Edward Davila handed down his judgment, telling the court that she “wanted to change the world.”

She was clothed in a dark shirt and black skirt, accompanied by her friends and relatives who hugged her in the courtroom when her punishment was announced.

Davila sentenced her to 11.25 years in jail along with three years of supervised release, and on April 27th, Holmes was to report for duty.

When she files her appeal, which she has 14 days to do, her attorneys are anticipated to ask the judge to let her stay out on bail. Following her conviction in January, Holmes fell pregnant once more.

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Holmes sobbed during the hearing as she expressed how “devastated” she was by her mistakes and how she would have handled many situations differently given the chance.

She admitted, “I have had deep shame for what others went through because I failed them.”

According to Davila, who sentenced Holmes, “This case is so problematic on so many levels. There is no denying Ms. Holmes’ intelligence.

Was there a moral compass loss in this situation? The tragic aspect of this case is how intelligent Ms. Holmes is.

‘Failure is normal. But failure by fraud is not OK. What is the pathology of fraud? Is it the inability to accept responsibility? Perhaps that the cautionary tale to come from this case.’

Holmes and her family remained silent as they walked into the court building, holding hands with her partner Billy Evans.

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila let her to be seated throughout the proceedings despite the federal government’s recommendation that she serve 15 years in prison.

Holmes sobbed as she addressed the jury, saying, “I stand before you taking responsibility for Theranos.” I cherished Theranos. My life’s labor was that.

There are numerous things I would change if given the chance. I rushed the process of achieving my dream. I made an attempt to alter the world yesterday. Now that I’m wise, I want to transform myself.

Rupert Murdoch and Betsy Devos are among the ten investors, according to Davila, whose reasonable total loss is $121 million. In the future, there will be restitution.

Holmes, he continued, “maintains that she did nothing wrong,” telling the court, “She has not accepted responsibility for her acts.”

Tyler Shultz’s father, Alex Shultz, testified in court that Tyler “slept with a knife under his pillow” out of fear that someone was going to “kill him” because he stood up to Elizabeth. Alex is the son of George Shultz.

They took advantage of my dad, he said. He never desired to be unimportant. Elizabeth focused on him after recognizing that.

‘Elizabeth hired a private investigator to follow my son. My Son slept with a knife under his pillow thinking someone was going to come and murder him in the middle of the night.

‘There’s a lot of talk about Sunny and Elizabeth. From my family’s perspective, Elizabeth is their Sunny Balwani. She took advantage of my family.’

US attorney John Bostic told the court that while Holmes was not guilty of intending to defraud patients, that ‘does not mean she did not have a reckless disregard for them.

Bostic told the court that they should consider an enhancement to her sentence because she engaged in recklessness that put patients at risk of bodily harm.

He said she did so by advertising Theranos blood-testing technology to healthcare providers and patients and used the devices on patients despite knowing the results were unreliable.

The court also heard that Holmes told a Walgreens consultant: ‘They don’t put pretty people like me in jail.’

The punishment issued by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila was much harsher than the mercy her legal team wanted for the mother of a year-old son with another kid on the way, but it was still less than the 15-year sentence sought by federal prosecutors.

Evans and Senator Cory Booker submitted one of the 137 letters to the judge while Holmes was accompanied by her nine-person legal team in the federal courtroom.

Evans pleaded for leniency for his girlfriend, mentioning their young son and unborn child.

According to court documents, the federal probation office had suggested a 9-year prison term.

As they left court, prosecutors and Holmes’ lawyer declined to comment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Schenk told the judge before he handed down the sentence that a 15-year sentence would be ‘making a statement that the ends don’t justify the means.’

Her saga has been dissected in an HBO documentary and an award-winning Hulu TV series about her meteoric rise and mortifying downfall.

Prosecutors asked that she serve a three-year supervised release and pay back more than $800 million in restitution.

Her defense team requested a sentence of no more than 18 months, preferably served in home confinement, even if it is less than the maximum 20-year sentence she may receive.

According to Holmes’ legal team, the fact that she is a dedicated mother today justifies giving her a break from punishment.

A probation report also provided to Davila suggested that Holmes receive a nine-year jail term.

A group of knowledgeable investors, which included Walmart’s Walton family and software tycoon Larry Ellison, helped Holmes fund close to $1 billion.