Holmes was convicted in Jan. on four counts of defrauding investors while running her failed blood testing start-up, Theranos."The only good thing that happened for Ms. Holmes today in this case was that she left the courtroom not in handcuffs," Clark told ABC7 News.Life after Theranos: What 130 personal letters to sentencing judge reveal about Elizabeth Holmes
Following her sentencing, witnesses reported seeing Holmes running from court hand-in-hand with her partner, Billy Evans. Dr. Don Heider, executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, said the judge's sentence sends a clear message to Silicon Valley: You can craft the best pitch for your product, "but it better be true."Holmes' sentence includes three years of supervision, following her eventual release from prison. Restitution has not yet been decided, but prosecutors wanted Holmes to pay $804 million.
"I think investors would like to believe this is a one-off and can never happen again. And yet, here's a pattern," Dr. Heider said, referencingRELATED:In court on Friday, a pregnant Holmes took the stand in tears after hearing testimony. Courtroom sketches depict the moment she described taking "full responsibility" for the company's failures.
"I think the court took into consideration Ms. Holmes' pregnancy," Clark said. "Not so much in the sentencing, but in the fact he allowed her to stay out to have her child, and gave her some time to bond with this child.""Her conviction ultimately was about the investor," Dr. Heider said. "But there are also all the employees, many of whom really weren't in a position to know that Theranos was a fraud.