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A U.S. jury on Monday found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty of conspiring to defraud investors in the blood testing startup, convicting her on four of 11 counts.
Holmes was convicted on charges of defrauding three other investors, as well as conspiring to do so.
She was acquitted on three counts of defrauding patients who paid for tests from Theranos, and a related conspiracy charge.
The jury could not reach a decision on three counts related to individual investors.
Holmes, wearing a gray suit jacket, appeared poised after the verdict was read. A sentencing date was not immediately set.
She faces up to 80 years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila but would likely get a much lower sentence.
Prosecutors said Holmes, 37, swindled private investors between 2010 and 2015 by convincing them that Theranos’ small machines could run a range of tests with a few drops of blood from a finger prick.
Holmes was also charged with misleading patients about the tests’ accuracy.
Holmes rose to Silicon Valley fame after founding Theranos in 2003.
Wealthy private investors including media mogul Rupert Murdoch invested millions in the company after meeting with the founder who was known for her Steve Jobs-like black turtleneck.
The case has shed light on Theranos’ failed endeavour to revolutionise lab testing. The company secretly relied on conventional machines manufactured by Siemens to run patients’ tests, prosecutors said.
Theranos collapsed after the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles that suggested its devices were flawed and inaccurate. Holmes was indicted in 2018 alongside Theranos’ former chief operating officer Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani.
She had pleaded not guilty to nine counts of fraud and two counts of conspiracy. Balwani also has pleaded not guilty and will be tried at a later…
Source : france24
