Jury in Elizabeth Holmes Trial Begins Deliberations

And, believe it or not, she could be found ‘not guilty’

Photo by Testalize.me on Unsplash

Happy Holidays to my friends and followers here who have been patiently waiting for my latest Elizabeth Holmes trial updates. And if you’re new to my page, I’ve provided two quick synopses of why Holmes is standing trial for fraud and how the trial has been progressing.

Before I get into jury deliberations, let’s get caught up. Holmes, the former founder and CEO of the now-defunct blood-testing company Theranos, is currently on trial and facing charges of defrauding patients and investors. The trial has stretched nearly four months, with testimony from dozens of witnesses including scientists, chief executives and a four-star general.

John Carreyrou, Wall Street Journal investigative journalist and author of “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup,” has been giving play-by-play coverage of the trial in his podcast, “Bad Blood: The Final Chapter.” He was briefly booted from the courtroom after Holmes’ defense team added him to their proposed witness list, but his team filed a motion stating it violated his First Amendment rights and he was allowed back in.

Testimonies from whistleblowers, former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff and project manager Dan Edlin, the ex-CEO of Safeway, and more have been seemingly scathing. All have pointed to Holmes knowingly marketing her blood-testing device, nicknamed the Edison, as the latest and greatest technology on the market despite ignoring and covering up clear evidence that the device didn’t, in fact, work at all.

The jury is debating whether prosecutors have shown, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Holmes committed nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud while pitching Theranos to investors and patients. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Did Holmes’ testimony turn the tides?
In a somewhat unprecedented move, Holmes took the stand for seven days and publicly told her side of the story. She acknowledged making a few mistakes and blamed colleagues for others. She cried while accusing her former business partner and boyfriend, Ramesh Balwani, of emotional and sexual abuse. (He has denied the accusations.)