Ramesh
Sunny
Balwani, the former chief operating officer of Theranos and a former partner of its founder Elizabeth Holmes, was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in federal prison and another three years on probation for his role in the company that misled investors and endangered patients when he promoted a blood test technology that never worked.
It's a longer sentence than the one Holmes received last month: 11 years in total after a jury found her guilty.
Balwani was convicted in July on 12 counts of patient fraud, conspiracy and investor fraud - eight more than Holmes.
Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani this December 7 in San Jose, California, before the reading of his sentence. Jeff Chiu / AP
The justice determined that Balwani, who went to a court in San Jose, California, this Wednesday for the reading of his sentence, knew that the company was not capable of consistently producing reliable results for certain tests.
While Theranos president and chief operating officer, Balwani oversaw the company's labs, where some of the most egregious misconduct occurred, prosecutors said.
During their trial, the prosecution called witnesses who claimed that the Theranos' inaccurate results caused real-world damage.
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives at federal court in San Jose, California, on October 17, 2022. AP
"Mr. Balwani knew that Theranos was not generating and would not generate any significant income or would generate any significant income by being honest with people," said US Attorney Jeff Schenk.
"So he chose a different path."
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Messages released during the trial confirmed Balwani's role.
"I am responsible for everything at Theranos," he wrote in a message to Holmes.
"They've all been my decisions as well."
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Balwani's defense team says he acted in good faith.
"He believed, and had every reason to, in the team of scientists at Theranos and the technology they developed," according to attorney Jeffrey Coopersmith.
Holmes and Balwani were also romantic partners for much of the company's history, something they tried to hide from employees.
In his defense, Holmes attempted to present himself as a victim of abuse by Balwani, who has denied those claims.
With information from
NBC News
and EFE
