Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former president and chief operating officer of failed blood testing company Theranos, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years and nine months in prison plus three years of probation.
Driving the news: Balwani’s conviction comes less than three weeks after his former boss and girlfriend, Elizabeth Holmes, received an 11-year, three-month sentence that is due to begin in April.
Flashback: A California jury in July found Balwani guilty on 12 counts of conspiracy and fraud against certain Theranos investors and patients.
- Judge Ed Davila convicted both Balwani and Holmes, who prosecutors originally intended to try together.
Backstage: Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence plus more than $800 million in compensation for Balwani, while defense attorneys asked for parole.
- Balwani chose not to speak before sentencing.
- Judge Davila will determine details of the restitution at a later date, as he does with Holmes.
The bottom line: Balwani’s defense strategy was to blame Holmes for fraud in Theranos, just as Holmes had tried to blame Balwani. Both didn’t work.
go deeper:
Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to 11 years in prison for Theranos fraud
The Theranos trial reveals questionable investor due diligence
Editor’s Note: Cox Enterprises, which invested in Theranos, is the parent company of Axios. This story has been corrected to reflect that Balwani was sentenced to 13 years in prison rather than prison.