Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of blood testing startup Theranos, was convicted of investor defrauding in January 2022. Holmes booked a one-way ticket to Mexico in an attempt to “flee the country” following her conviction, according to a recent lawsuit.
Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison in November 2021 and is currently appealing her conviction. However, That reports CNN that prosecutors argue she should begin her sentence now, citing her suspicious travel plans and her current living situation in an estate with reported monthly expenses of $13,000 as evidence that she is a flight risk.
The lawsuit revealed that Holmes had booked a one-way flight to Mexico on January 26, 2022 — with no scheduled return. Her travel plans were canceled after the government questioned Holmes’ lawyers, who claimed the travel reservation was made before the verdict and that she only intended to attend a friend’s wedding in Mexico.
At the height of its success, Theranos was valued at $9 billion. It attracted major retail partners with claims that its technology could test for numerous conditions using a small amount of blood.
However, everything unraveled after a 2015 Wall Street Journal research revealed that the technology was unproven and unreliable, ultimately leading to the company’s demise and the CEO’s conviction.
Holmes will begin her prison sentence on April 27, 2023.
