Elizabeth Holmes Breaks Down In First Jail Interview: ‘I Am In Hell’

Studying Time: 3 minutes

Again in Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on fraud and conspiracy fees in connection along with her actions because the founder and CEO of Theranos.

Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in jail for mendacity to traders and main them to consider her healthcare know-how firm had developed blood-testing gadgets that might revolutionize the medical trade.

And within the blink of an eye fixed, the California native went from being the world’s youngest self-made feminine billionaire to an inmate at a federal corrections institute.

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California. (Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Pictures)

Elizabeth Holmes Says Jail Life Is ‘Torture’

Now, in her first interview since reporting to jail in March of 2023, Holmes describes her life behind bars as “hell” and “torture.”

“I’m not the same person I was back then,” Holmes tells Folks journal, whereas acknowledging “there are things I would have done differently” throughout her time as the top of Theranos.

“It’s surreal. People who have never met me believe so strongly about me. They don’t understand who I am,” she explains.

“It forces you to spend a lot of time questioning belief and hoping the truth will prevail. I am walking by faith and, ultimately, the truth. But it’s been hell and torture to be here.”

Former Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives on the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court docket on June 28, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Pictures)

Holmes Maintains Innocence as She Begins Her Third 12 months In Jail

All through her trial, Holmes maintained that she had been manipulated by fellow Theranos govt Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, whom she dated for a number of years.

“First it was about accepting it happened,” says Holmes of her relationship with Balwani.

“Then it was about forgiving myself for my own part. [And] I refused to plead guilty to crimes I did not commit. Theranos failed. But failure is not fraud.”

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes seems in federal court docket for a standing listening to on July 17, 2019 in San Jose, California. Holmes is going through fees of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly participating in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud traders with the Theranos blood testing lab providers. (Photograph by Kimberly White/Getty Pictures)

Holmes Says Hardest Half Is Separation From Youngsters

A mom of two, Holmes gave delivery to her first baby simply earlier than the beginning of her trial.

She and husband Billy Evans welcomed a second baby two years later. The arrival of the newborn woman — Invicta, from the Latin for “invincible” — led to a one-month delay to the beginning of Holmes’ sentence.

When she arrived at Federal Jail Camp Bryan in Texas, Holmes requested guards to attend as she used a breast pump to gather milk for her daughter.

“I always wanted to be a mother,” she explains to Folks. “I truly did not think I would ever be convicted or found guilty.”

Holmes says she and her authorized crew plan to proceed interesting her sentence. With good conduct, she’ll be eligible for parole in 2032.