Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes attempted to flee the United States shortly after being convicted last year of defrauding investors, a Thursday court filing revealed.
The filing, reported on Friday by The Hill, comes after Holmes was given a waiting period due to her pregnancy before her 11-year conviction for misleading Theranos stakeholders about blood-testing technology.
"The government became aware on January 23, 2022, that Defendant Holmes booked an international flight to Mexico departing on January 26, 2022, without a scheduled return trip," the filing stated. "Only after the government raised this unauthorized flight with defense counsel was the trip canceled."
Prosecutors argued that Holmes has yet to provide convincing evidence that she is not a flight risk, claiming that "it is difficult to know with certainty" if she would have left the country "had the government not intervened."
An email was also shared from one of Holmes' attorneys claiming that the former Theranos CEO made travel reservations to Mexico before her guilty verdict, hoping it would yield a different result.
The argument is part of a new attempt by prosecutors to drastically cut down Holmes' waiting period which is scheduled to be up on April 27. In the meantime, she is reportedly living on a wealthy estate, according to the filing.
"There are not two systems of justice — one for the wealthy and one for the poor — there is one criminal justice system in this country," prosecutors said, pushing for Holmes to go to prison before an appeal is filed.
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