Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Tried to Flee With a One-Way Ticket to Mexico
Prosecutors claimed that Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, attempted to leave the United States shortly after her conviction on fraud charges last year.
According to BBC, new court documents revealed that the 38-year-old purchased a one-way ticket to Mexico in January last year.
"Only after the government raised this unauthorized flight... was the trip canceled," prosecutors noted.
Holmes was found guilty of fraud charges after defrauding investors in her blood testing start-up Theranos, which was once valued at $9 billion.
The ex-Silicon Valley star made up claims that the technology could detect illness with a few drops of blood. But it failed, and in 2018 the corporation folded under the weight of numerous lawsuits.
According to the most recent court document, filed on Thursday, Holmes' boyfriend has already purchased a one-way ticket to Mexico.
The prosecutors said the government believes Holmes would note in response that she did not leave the country as scheduled.
"But it is difficult to know with certainty what [she] would have done had the government not intervened," the prosecutors noted.
The filing came in response to the Theranos founder's request to remain out of jail pending her appeal.
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Elizabeth Holmes' Attorney Explained the Ticket to Mexico
In response to prosecutors' worries, Elizabeth Holmes' attorney Lance Wade said there was a misunderstanding regarding the planned flight.
"In general, this was a reservation that was made before the verdict. The hope was that the verdict would be different, and Ms. Holmes would be able to make this trip to attend the wedding of close friends," he noted, adding that since the judgment came down, Homes decided not to go, The Daily Beast reported.
However, the lawyer noted that amid everything that had been going on, Holmes had yet to cancel the trip.
Authorities provided additional details on Holmes' previous travel plans in opposing her bid to stay out of prison.
They said her partner, "William Evans, left on the scheduled date with a one-way ticket" and did not return until six weeks later, arriving from a different continent.
The trip occurred six months after the Theranos founder gave birth to their first child. However, it is unclear what Evans did during that trip.
The filing claimed that Holmes was "living comfortably on an estate" and that her "monthly expenses exceeded $13,000" as she prepared to potentially begin serving a sentence of 135 months.
It added that Holmes has lobbied to ease her travel restrictions "due to her significant other's employment," and listed Evans' salary as $0.
However, the prosecution argued that Holmes continued "to show no remorse to her victims."
Theranos Fraud Case
A judge handed down Elizabeth Holmes' sentence of 11 years and three months in jail with three years of supervised release in November.
California Northern District Court Judge Edward J. Davila said he thought Holmes' arrogance and obsession with her popularity were to blame for her scamming investors out of over $100 million, Rolling Stone reported.
A jury decided that the founder of the blood-testing start-up Theranos lied to investors about the company's capabilities to gain financial backing and public notoriety.
Her situation has come to symbolize the negative aspects of the "fake it till you make it" mentality and the hustle culture prevalent in Silicon Valley.
Following her guilty verdict in January for lying to investors to secure funding for her blood-testing firm, Holmes has spent much of the time pleading for a new trial and pleading with her supporters to spare her from incarceration.
Elizabeth Holmes' sentencing was delayed twice because of stalled motions for new trials.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
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