January 4, 2022
07:11
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A court jury in the United States has found the founder of the biotech company “Terranos” Elizabeth Holmes guilty of 4 of the 11 charges against her, including fraud and conspiracy, the world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
Holmes was found guilty of deceiving investors into believing that her company had developed a revolutionary medical device that could detect many diseases by taking a sample of a few drops of blood. However, she was acquitted on charges of cheating patients who paid for Teranos tests. Prosecutors described the 37-year-old Holmes as a charlatan obsessed with fame and fortune.
During the trial, the defendant described herself as a visionary and pioneer in the male-dominated technology world of Silicon Valley. She said she was emotionally and sexually abused by her ex-lover and business partner Sunny Baluani. Holmes became famous after founding Teranos in 2003 at the age of 19. She attracted wealthy investors for her project, and in 2015 her fortune was estimated by Forbes magazine at about $ 4.5 billion.
Terranos collapsed after revealing potentially dangerous irregularities in the company’s technology. In 2018, charges were brought against Holmes, as well as against Baluani, who also pleaded not guilty and is pending trial. Holmes could face up to decades in prison on charges she pleaded guilty to.
