Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of disgraced biotech company Theranos, bought a one-way ticket to Mexico shortly after she was convicted of fraud last January, a court document filed Thursday alleges.
Holmes was found guilty of four counts of lying to investors on January 3, 2022. Shortly thereafter, federal prosecutors allege in the filing, Holmes bought a flight to Mexico departing on January 26, 2022 without a return trip. programmed. The US government learned of the reservation on January 23, 2022.
“Only after the government raised this unauthorized flight with the defense attorney was the trip cancelled,” prosecutors say.
Thursday’s filing came as part of the government’s opposition to Holmes’s motion for release from detention pending appeal of his sentence; in November, a judge sentenced Holmes to more than 11 years in prison.
An attorney for Holmes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Holmes’ partner, William Evans, also bought a one-way ticket «and did not return until approximately six weeks later, returning from a different continent,» prosecutors said.
«The government anticipates (Holmes) will respond that she did not, in fact, leave the country as scheduled, but it is difficult to know for sure what (Holmes) would have done if the government had not intervened,» prosecutors said.
The United States has a bilateral extradition treaty with Mexico. Since 2005, Mexico has deported between 150 and 200 fugitives to face charges in the US, according to the US Department of State..
This is a developing story.