Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was found guilty of four counts of fraud, has spoken in her first interview since 2016. She discussed her emotions after the failure of her business and her impending jail term. Holmes said that she experienced “incredible grief” over her company’s dissolution, and she burned a statue of a failed business at Burning Man. She continues to try to avoid an 11-year sentence, most recently appealing a judge’s refusal to let her remain free while she appeals her conviction.
Holmes was found guilty of being involved in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors in her company, which offers blood-testing lab services. She had become the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire based on her fraudulent venture in the blood testing business, but her business ultimately collapsed. Prosecutors filed a lawsuit against her, and she was working on her legal defense in the six months leading up to her sentencing.
Holmes has been charged with eleven counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, and patent theft related to her business operations. She is appealing her conviction while trying to avoid her 11-year jail sentence. A judge refused to allow her to remain free while she appeals her conviction, but her co-defendant was successful in delaying their reporting date to prison by about a month.