theranos trial
Bulletins

Sunny Balwani's trial is delayed

The former Theranos exec's trial has been pushed to March due to COVID concerns.

Sunny Balwani, former president and chief operating officer of Theranos Inc., arrives at federal court in San Jose, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. The defunct blood-testing startup which was once valued at as much as $9 billion unraveled amid what prosecutors describe as a massive scheme masterminded by founder Elizabeth Holmes and Balwani to mislead investors, doctors and patients. Photographer: Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This is the second delay to Sunny Balwani's trial.

Photo: Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This story contains mention of sexual assault.

The fraud trial of Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, former president and COO of failed blood-testing startup Theranos, has been delayed. The trial is now expected to take place in March.

Balwani's trial, which was set to take place on Feb. 15, was put off due to COVID-19 concerns. This is the second delay to Balwani's trial, the first of which was due to the unexpected length of Elizabeth Holmes' trial.

Holmes was convicted Monday of four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy. She was found not guilty of defrauding patients, and no verdict could be reached for three of the counts. Balwani, who is charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, has plead not guilty. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, which will likely be served concurrently.

Much of Holmes' defense pinned the blame on Balwani. Holmes testified that he was in charge of the lab operations and finances at Theranos, and she said she never questioned decisions he made. She also alleged that he controlled her life down to the minute, and sexually abused her, which his attorney reportedly denied.

Nat Rubio-Licht

Nat Rubio-Licht is a Los Angeles-based news writer at Protocol. They graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in newspaper and online journalism in May 2020. Prior to joining the team, they worked at the Los Angeles Business Journal as a technology and aerospace reporter.

theranos trial theranos sunny balwani elizabeth holmes
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