The U.S. government is entering the home stretch of its case against Elizabeth Holmes. In court on Wednesday, prosecutor Jeff Schenk reportedly told Judge Edward Davila that he thought it was likely that the government's case will wrap up next week.
The U.S. government's prosecution of the former Theranos CEO began in September, but the case has stretched on over 10 weeks, thanks to mishaps like a broken water pipe in the courthouse, delays related to jurors and a judge whose style has been criticized as "plodding."
This week, testimony focused on a pair of former lab directors, including one who never set foot in the lab and another who found problems with the lab and ordered all tests done in 2014 and 2015 voided.
Investor Alan Eisenman also took the stand and testified that he had been told the company would be cash-flow positive by 2010 and that demand for testing cartridges was expected to be over a million units. Neither ended up coming true, but he ended up investing again in 2013 on Holmes and then-COO Sunny Balwani's promise that the Theranos technology was working. (Balwani is facing the same charges but will have a separate trial scheduled to begin in January.)
It is unknown who the government will call as its final witnesses in the case. Despite a potential list that included names like Henry Kissinger and Rupert Murdoch, so far the highest-profile witness has been former Defense Secretary James Mattis, a Theranos board member and investor, who said he had become "disappointed at the level of transparency" from Holmes.
After a short week in observance of Veterans Day, the court plans to be in session Monday through Friday for the case next week, which means Holmes' defense could begin before Thanksgiving.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE