Former Theranos President and Chief Operating Officer Ramesh "Sunny” Balwani was sentenced to 13 years in prison for defrauding investors and patients of Theranos Inc., the blood-testing startup he ran alongside its founder and chief executive officer Elizabeth Holmes.
The sentence imposed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, is far closer to the 15-year term prosecutors asked for than what Balwani’s lawyers sought — home detention or supervised release on probation. Davila last month ordered Holmes to serve 11¼ years in prison.
As he did with Holmes, the judge said he’ll decide later how much restitution Balwani must pay. The government has asked for both to be ordered to pay about $800 million.