Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Living Large On Grounds Of $135 Million Estate In Silicon Valley As Fraud Trial Gets Underway
Elizabeth Holmes is living large!
The founder of botched biotech startup Theranos is reportedly crashing on the grounds of a $135 million estate in beautiful Woodside, California — one of the wealthiest towns in Silicon Valley — as her fraud trial gets underway.
The plush estate boasts four swimming pools, including a stadium-sized Roman pool, a tennis court and a reservoir exclusively for the property, reported CNBC.
Holmes' current crash pad is on the market. “The estate has long been a gathering place for global dignitaries including European royalty, senators, congressmen, governors, business leaders and creative luminaries,” the listing for the property says.
The estate — dubbed Green Gables — is located approximately 25 miles from the courthouse in San Jose where Holmes is warding off several charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The 37-year-old former businesswoman's new address was found out in a peculiar way. On the same day she was granted a delay in her trial due to her pregnancy, her partner, William “Billy” Evans, was nabbed by the police. He received a citation on March 17 for “failure to display license plate,” according to the outlet. The citation revealed the new address of the controversial CEO and her partner.
Holmes is facing charges of two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
In 2003, at 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford University to launch the now-defunct Theranos — a revolutionary startup with a vision to overhaul diagnostic health care. The company eventually made her the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire.
Holmes was indicted in June 2018 alongside Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, former chief operating officer of Theranos. The indictment alleged that they had engaged in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors and a separate scheme to defraud doctors and patients by claiming that the company could provide cheap, fast and reliable blood tests and results.
They were accused of “raising more than $700 million from investors through an elaborate, years-long fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In documents released days prior to jury selection, Holmes’ attorney claimed that Balwani emotionally and sexually abused her for decades. She will reportedly testify that her ex-boyfriend controlled what she ate, how she dressed and monitored her calls, texts and emails, according to the Independent.
Opening statements in her fraud trial began on Wednesday, September 8.
