The federal trial for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been pushed back to August 31 after it was revealed that Holmes is pregnant.
Her trial was originally scheduled for mid-July, but last week Holmes' lawyers and prosecutors agreed to the delay. According to The Mercury News, one of her lawyers argued putting her on trial less than six weeks after she gives birth was not recommended.
Holmes, 37, is facing a dozen felony fraud counts, for which she could serve a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of more than $2.5 million.
In a video conference on Wednesday, federal prosecutor Robert Leach expressed frustration that he learned so late in her pregnancy that she was with child, the paper reported. The trial has already been delayed several times by procedural issues and the coronavirus pandemic.
Holmes, who founded Theranos in 2003, allegedly cheated investors out of millions of dollars and defrauded patients with claims that her company could conduct a full range of medical tests using droplets of blood.
The company was once worth an estimated $9 billion.
Related
