Former Theranos COO Sunny Balwani sentenced to 12 years and 11 months in prison

Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Theranos’ former chief working officer, has been sentenced to just about 13 years in jail. Balwani was discovered of all prices in a trial earlier this yr that charged him with defrauding the blood testing startup’s sufferers and buyers.

Of notice, his sentence is barely longer than the 11-year and three month sentence given to Elizabeth Holmes, the previous CEO of Theranos. Forward of his sentencing, Balwani’s authorized crew had requested for probation or home arrest, The Wall Avenue Journal . A probation officer had really helpful a nine-year sentence, whereas prosecutors wished 15 years in jail.

Balwani can even must pay restitution, although the quantity hasn’t but been set. He is because of give up March fifteenth.

Not like Holmes, who was not convicted on seven out of 11 whole fraud prices in her trial, Balwani was convicted of defrauding Theranos sufferers along with the corporate’s rich buyers. As COO, Balwani oversaw the operations of the corporate’s troubled laboratory, and prosecutors argued that he had detailed data of issues with its blood checks and the chance they posed to sufferers.

Although Balwani by no means rose to the identical stage of fame as his former associate throughout his time at Theranos, his relationship with Holmes has performed closely into the intrigue surrounding the corporate’s downfall. Holmes and Balwani’s relationship featured prominently in The Dropout, a Hulu miniseries about Theranos, and textual content messages between the 2 had been learn aloud in each trials. 

When Holmes took the stand in her personal protection, she stated Balwani had been abusive, and had misled her about points within the firm’s lab. 

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