Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has asked President Donald Trump to commute her sentence, seeking to cut short nearly six years of her 11-year prison term for defrauding investors in her once-promising blood-testing startup.
Elizabeth Holmes Files Clemency Request
Holmes, 37, submitted a request last year to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney seeking early release from her more than 11-year sentence, reported The Guardian.
The request is listed as pending and no action has been taken.
Holmes was convicted in 2022 on four counts of wire fraud for misleading investors about Theranos’ blood-testing technology and began serving her sentence in 2023. She has nearly six years remaining.
Trump Clemency Trends Draw Scrutiny
On Wednesday, NBC News reported that Holmes still has nearly six years remaining on her sentence.
“Why not?” said NBC News reporter Ryan J. Reilly during an on-air discussion of the filing.
“She’s filed through the formal process… which is like, that’s not normally the way that a lot of these pardons are getting done these days.”
Reilly described the current pardon landscape as “the Wild West of the pardon era,” arguing that access and lobbying often matter more than formal review.
He noted that invoking political language can be effective, adding that clemency has become “really profitable” for well-connected applicants.
An NBC News analysis found Trump has granted an unusually high number of pardons and commutations to wealthy individuals convicted of financial crimes.
Holmes Vows To Fight Conviction
Holmes posted on X that she will continue fighting to prove her innocence, accusing the justice system of being weaponized.
She wrote, “We are continuing to fight for my innocence and we know the truth can not be repressed for ever.”
Holmes said the fight is “just beginning,” and added that she would go private again in 12 hours.
Bitfinex Hacker Released Early Under First Step Act
Earlier this month, Convicted Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein stated that he was released early from prison under the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law signed by President Trump.
Lichtenstein, who admitted to stealing nearly 120,000 bitcoin in a 2016 hack, said he planned to work in cybersecurity and thanked supporters.
A Trump administration official confirmed he had served a significant portion of his five-year sentence and was moved to home confinement.
Lichtenstein had been sentenced in November 2024 and received credit for time already served after his 2022 arrest.
Federal records still listed his official release date as Feb. 9, indicating he remained under supervision.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: mundissima on Shutterstock.com
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