Elizabeth Holmes welcomes second child as she seeks to delay prison term

Convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes has given birth to her second child as the Theranos founder’s 11-year prison sentence looms, a recent court filing revealed.

Holmes’ defense team cited her “two very young children” in its latest argument for why Holmes is not a flight risk and should remain out of prison while she appeals her fraud conviction. 

“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,” the court filing read.

The 39-year-old’s second pregnancy had been revealed in earlier court filings. Holmes gave birth to her first child with fiancé Billy Evans in July 2021.

Holmes is intent on delaying serving her 11-plus year sentence, set to begin on April 27.

The Stanford University dropout and former CEO of Theranos was convicted last year of defrauding the company’s investors of more than $144 million. Holmes promised her startup could run tests on a small amount of blood that could detect serious medical conditions, at one point driving the company’s valuation up to $10 billion. Those promises turned out to vastly overstate Theranos’ capabilities.

Judge Edward Davila of the Northern District of California has recommended that Holmes serve out her sentence at Federal Prison Camp at Bryan, Texas, according to a November court filing. The minimum-security women’s facility, located about 100 miles northwest of Houston, holds roughly 540 female inmates across four dormitory units on a 37-acre campus, according to its website.

The “camp” is more conducive to family visits than other prisons. In his sentencing, Davila wrote that “family visitation enhances rehabilitation.”