Theranos president Sunny Balwani convicted on 12 counts for role at collapsed health tech firm
The former president of Theranos has been convicted on all 12 counts brought against him over his role at the now discredited health technology firm.
Sunny Balwani’s conviction marks the end of years of legal troubles for the exec after Theranos collapsed in 2016.
Following a 13-week long trial, the 57-year year executive was convicted by a California jury, after being charged with two counts of conspiracy and a further 10 counts of fraud, over his role in the collapse health tech firm.
The company president’s conviction comes after Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty on one count of conspiracy and a further three counts of fraud, in January this year.
The pairs’ convictions come after the firm’s value plummeted in 2016, following reports in the Wall Street Journal that cast doubt on the credibility of Theranos’ claims.
Theranos was founded by Holmes in 2003, when she was studying at Stanford University at the age of 19. The company executive later dropped out of Stanford in 2004.
In the following years, the firm raised more than $700m from investors, on the back of false claims it had developed rapid, miniaturised blood testing technology.
The firm claimed its technology would “democratise healthcare” by enabling people to carry out tests using tiny amounts of blood.
Sunny Balwani later joined Theranos in 2009, after which point he entered a romantic relationship with Holmes.
The pair had previously met when both of them were studying at Stanford University, when Balwani was 37 and Holmes was 18.
Balwani had no medical training prior to joining Theranos, and reportedly had little understanding of the medical technology the firm had sought to sell.
Sentencing is now scheduled for 15 November.