Jan. 22 (UPI) — Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced CEO and founder of the failed blood-testing startup Theranos, has asked President Donald Trump to commute her prison sentence, according to Justice Department records.
Holmes, 41, has been in prison since May 2023, stemming from her conviction on charges related to duping her investors by making false and misleading statements about Theranos’ ability to develop a medical device that could run a range of tests from a single finger-prick sample.
She was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison — a prison term that has more than once been reduced. She is scheduled for release three years early on Dec. 30, 2031.
Online records with the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney show that Holmes has asked Trump for a commutation of her sentence — a request that, if granted, could reduce or eliminate her remaining prison time while leaving her conviction intact.
The request was filed last year and its status was “pending,” the records show.
Holmes confirmed the filing Wednesday night on X.
“We are continuing to fight for my innocence, and we know that truth cannot be repressed forever,” she said.
“This is not over. The fight against weaponization of our justice system is just beginning,” Holmes added, using a phrase that Trump has repeatedly employed to criticize investigations and prosecutions against him as politically motivated.
Trump was federally charged in connection with his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election, though those cases were later dismissed after his return to office. He was, however, convicted in a New York state court on 34 felony counts related to hush-money payments made to hide an alleged affair from the public ahead of the 2016 election.
Holmes has gained attention in recent months online via X, where earlier this month she framed her conviction as the failure of her company being “falsely charged as fraud.” She has also praised Trump for his healthcare policies, comparing his effort to reduce costs to what she said she was attempting with Theranos.
“The healthcare establishment is shaking in fear: They will no longer be able to rip off the American people in the shadows. Maximum Transparency on Pricing will lead to better care and lower costs,” she said.
“Theranos did this in 2016, 10 years later it’s time we do it everywhere.”
Holmes was convicted in November 2022 on one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and three counts of committing wire fraud, involving wire transfers of more than $140 million.
In late February, a federal appeals court upheld her conviction as well as the conviction of Theranos president, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, who was given a nearly 13-year prison sentence.
During the first year of his second term in office, Trump has granted clemency to more than 1,600 people, including several high-profile prisoners, often drawing controversy.
Those granted clemency include the about 1,500 people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher and several Trump loyalists and allies.
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