EXPLAINER: Why Elizabeth Holmes’ trial hinges on intent | Well being and Health

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Elizabeth Holmes enters federal court in San Jose, California on Friday, December 17, 2021. Attorneys for the opposing parties in the trial of the former Theranos CEO are expected to finalize their closing arguments on Friday, paving the way for a jury to begin deliberating on criminal charges accusing her of turning her start-up into one for blood tests to have transformed massive fraud.


Nic Coury – Freelancer, FR171100 AP

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE – AP Technology Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – The high profile trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes boils down to one question: Did she cover up flaws in her startup’s blood testing technology to rip off investors while potentially putting the lives of the ignorant at risk ? Patient?

Federal prosecutors charged Holmes, 37, with 11 fraud and conspiracy crimes in 2018 after Theranos collapsed under the weight of her fake bragging rights about his technological prowess. She repeatedly claimed that Theranos had a new way to scan hundreds of diseases and health problems by taking just a few drops of blood with the prick of a finger.

This would be a dramatic change from the traditional method of drawing blood through needles into a patient’s veins and then sending it to Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp for testing – a process that could take days.

But everything turned out to be a mirage.

The web of alleged lies and other fraudulent tactics covered in the trial came from 2010 to 2015 when, according to prosecutors, Holmes deceived her startup’s investors while misleading patients about the accuracy of the company’s blood tests.

When she defended herself on the stand for seven days with often dramatic testimony, Holmes admitted that he had made some bad decisions and mistakes. But she claimed that she never stopped believing that Theranos was on the verge of a breakthrough that could redefine healthcare.