Theranos founder and convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes recently celebrated her 40th birthday at a Texas prison. Holmes was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in January 2022. She began serving her 11-year sentence in May 2023, forcing her to leave her two young children behind.
Holmes is a mom to William, 2, and daughter Invicta, who is turning 1 soon. Now nine months into her sentence, Holmes' family visited her in prison to celebrate her birthday, photos shared by Daily Mail revealed.
The birthday celebration took place at FBC Bryan, a minimum-security federal prison for women in Texas.
Holmes was seen playing with her kids and spending time with her partner and parents in the prison yard, Daily Mail reported.
Photos showed Holmes looking happy as she reconnected with her loved ones.
More from LittleThings: Author Emails Numerous Young Women And Asks Them To Make 'Racy' Content For His Book
In one photo, Holmes is beaming while holding her son. In another, her partner Billy Evans wraps his arms around her waist. Daily Mail reported that Holmes' family traveled to the Texas prison from their San Diego home for Holmes' birthday.
Before her downfall and criminal charges, Holmes was seen as a visionary. She founded Theranos in 2003, and in 2014, she was named world's youngest self-made female billionaire by Forbes. A year later, people started growing skeptical of Theranos.
Billionaires like Rupert Murdoch and Larry Ellison invested in Theranos, which aimed to use just a few drops of blood to detect numerous diseases and health issues. But it was later discovered that Theranos' technology was flawed, and Holmes had tricked investors.
Those who investigated Theranos, including journalist John Carreyrou, who reported on it for The Wall Street Journal, discovered that Holmes' blood-testing machines produced inaccurate results, and that the technology wasn't even used for all blood samples. Some samples were tested using traditional methods and were also taken via traditional blood draws instead of the quick finger pricks that she had spoken of, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to being spotted celebrating her birthday, Holmes has also been seen hanging out with Jen Shah in prison. Holmes and Shah, a Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum, are serving their sentences in the same prison and Daily Mail shared photos of the two spending time together.
A representative for Shah told People that Holmes and Shah "have bonded" in prison and are friends now.
“Their situations brought them together, and they have a good understanding of one another. They’re getting through it together," the rep, Chris Giovanni, told People.
Giovanni said Shah has also helped Holmes with parenting. “Jen’s given her a lot of advice. She’s even met Elizabeth’s baby and held her,” Giovanni told People.
