Elizabeth Holmes gives birth to second child, asks judge to delay prison sentence

Former tech executive Elizabeth Holmes has given birth to her second child, according to federal documents — and she’s citing the newborn as a reason to delay her prison sentence.

The disgraced founder argued that because she has had another child, she is not a flight risk and therefore should not be imprisoned while her lawyers appeal her conviction.

Holmes, 39, was convicted of multiple counts of fraud in January 2022 for claims she made while CEO of blood testing company Theranos. She was sentenced to more than 11 years in November.

She is scheduled to begin serving her sentence on April 27, but a hearing about the state of her appeal is scheduled for March 17.

“Ms. Holmes has deep ties to the community: She is the mother of two very young children; she has close relationships with family and friends, many of who submitted letters at sentencing vouching for her good character; and she volunteers with a rape crisis and counseling organization,” cited a motion filed by Holmes’ defense team.

As CEO of Theranos, Holmes bilked investors out of millions by claiming the company’s technology could perform hundreds of medical tests with smaller blood samples than competitors. Her fraud was exposed by a Wall Street Journal report that found the technology did not work and Holmes used a variety of methods to fake accurate results.

“The person on trial is 37 years old,” U.S. Attorney John Bostic said during her 2021 trial. “That is certainly old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.”

Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani — Holmes’ ex-boyfriend and convicted co-conspirator — is also attempting to convince the judge to delay the start of his 13-year sentence while his conviction is appealed. Balwani is scheduled to report to prison on March 15.

With News Wire Services