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Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes jailed for fraud


Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors in her blood testing start-up that was once valued at $9bn (£7.5bn).

The former Silicon Valley star falsely claimed the technology could diagnose disease with just a few drops of blood.

Holmes, 38, who is pregnant, tearfully told the court she felt "deep pain" for those misled by the scam.

She was found guilty in January after a three-month trial.

Holmes is expected to appeal against the sentence, which was handed down on Friday in a California court.

Once hailed as the "next Steve Jobs", she was at one time said to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire.


She launched Theranos after dropping out of Stanford University at age 19, and its value rose sharply after the company claimed it could bring about a revolution in disease diagnosis.

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