Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes asks President Trump to commute her sentence

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the now-defunct blood-testing startup Theranos, has sought a commutation of her sentence from President Donald Trump, according to a notice on the Justice Department website.

Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in the company, which was once valued at an estimated $9 billion. The U.S. Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney lists her request, submitted last year, as currently pending.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the matter.

Holmes was CEO throughout Theranos’ turbulent 15-year history, claimed her startup had developed a revolutionary medical device that could detect a multitude of diseases and conditions from a few drops of blood. But the technology never worked, and the claims were false.

A 41-year-old mother of two small children, Holmes began serving her 11-year sentence in May 2023 at a federal prison in Texas. Her listed release date at the Federal Bureau of Prisons is currently March 19, 2032.

Holmes was convicted in January 2022 on four counts of fraud and conspiracy for lying about the capabilities of her biotech company’s blood testing technology and conning investors out of millions of dollars.

She continues to appeal her sentence and conviction from behind bars.

Holmes and her former partner and Theranos COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, who was convicted at a separate trial of 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy, were also ordered to repay victims $452m.

Out-of-pocket investors included Rupert Murdoch, who is owed $125m, and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

At sentencing, prosecutors described her offending as among the most “substantial white collar offences Silicon Valley or any other district has seen”.

Holmes is permitted visits from her husband Billy Evans and two children.

A decade ago, Theranos had become such a hot health care commodity that it was called an exemplar of U.S. ingenuity by several prominent people, including then-Vice President Joe Biden. Holmes had emerged as a media sensation with a fortune worth $4.5 billion.