Theranos CEO’s father-in-law, Elizabeth Holmes, went undercover as a “concerned citizen” and chatted with the media during the jury selection at his federal trial, according to an NPR report. Tuesday, technical reporter Bobby Allyn revealed this bit of intrigue, which seems appropriate for a Silicon Valley startup, which is said to work with the secrecy, deception and control of its own employees. According to Allyn, San Diego hotel manager Bill Evans, father of Holmes’ husband Billy, entered California court with a baseball cap and a down jacket and introduced himself as “Hanson.” The mysterious man told reporters that he was “fixing[ed] getting in old cars to make a living ”and was there as a media watchdog. Asked if he knew Holmes, the man allegedly said, “Do I know her? Does anyone know her? What does it even mean to meet someone today? He added: “No journalist has ever told the real story of her.”
But when initial discussions began a week later, reporters saw “Hanson” among relatives escorting Holmes to the building. This time, the man was wearing a suit. “He claimed to be ‘Hanson,’ but he had a different name on his Starbucks cup,” said a CNN reporter, who added that he was wearing expensive Italian moccasins. When Allyn later reached out to the 61-year-old to comment, she said, “People have nicknames and you can use them freely. In this sense, I will say goodbye. Holmes is accused of defrauding investors and patients in connection with Theranos’ blood test devices, which she said could do dozens of tests at the touch of a finger.
Read it on NPR