Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former CEO of blood testing and life sciences company Theranos, arrives on the first day of jury selection in her anti-fraud trial, before the Federal Court in San Jose, California, on 31 August 2021.
Nick Otto | AFP | Getty Images
SAN JOSE, CALIF. – A jury of seven men and five women will decide the fate of Theranos founder and former director Elizabeth Holmes.
The group of 12 people was selected after two days of intense questions about their knowledge of the failed blood test company. If convicted, Holmes could face up to 20 years in prison
Prosecutors and defense attorneys settled on a diverse set of juries in terms of race, gender, and age. Along with five alternates (two men and three women), jurors were sworn in Thursday morning at the San Jose Federal Courthouse. Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Holmes, who was a paper billionaire based on his involvement in Theranos, faces a dozen allegations of bank fraud and conspiracy to allegedly deceive investors and patients about his company’s technology. She has pleaded guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
Holmes left Stanford in 2003 to start Theranos at 19 years old. He raised billions of dollars to investors such as media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Walton family. Some investors are expected to testify during the trial.
The company’s downfall began in 2015, when former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou published a series of condemnatory articles exposing Theranos ’dubious business practices and technological limitations.
During jury questioning, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila, who presides over the trial, reminded potential jurors of the importance of avoiding the media, a particular challenge for a case that has attracted a strong coverage in Silicon Valley and around the world.
A jury, an older white man, said “oh boy” after his name was called to be on the jury.
“Let’s be clear, they know the media is interested in this case,” Davila said Wednesday in the courtroom. He repeatedly told jurors to “turn off this news.”
The two days of jury selection were tense and dramatic at times, with dozens of potential jurors admitting they had prior knowledge of Holmes and Theranos. Some even expressed disappointment at the spectacular fall of Holmes’ grace.
“There aren’t that many women who can become CEOs of a high-powered company,” a potential jury that had read Carreyrou’s book, “Bad Blood,” told Davila on Tuesday.
Another potential male jury said he followed Theranos during his promotion and admitted he was “disappointed because he thought the company was so great.”
Some of those interviewed were even moved as they shared distressing experiences of domestic violence. This was after recently unsealed documents revealed Holmes’ plans to have an expert declare that Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, her ex-boyfriend and former Theranos service manager, subjected her to intimate partner abuse.
Balwani denies the allegations. He will be tried separately for his role in the Theranos scandal.
I’LL SEE: The outcome of the trial will depend on Holmes’ defense as a groom’s puppet