Prosecutors Say Elizabeth Holmes Bought a One-Way Ticket to Mexico

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes tried to flee the country after she was convicted on four fraud counts last year, prosecutors alleged in a court filing on Thursday.

The filing came in response to Holmes’ request to remain out of prison pending her appeal.

“Contrary to Defendant’s assertion that she has a ‘flawless record with U.S. Pretrial Services,’” the filing stated, “the incentive to flee has never been higher.”

Officials say they learned on Jan. 23, 2022 that Holmes had purchased a one-way ticket to Mexico. “Only after the government raised this unauthorized flight with defense counsel was the trip canceled,” the filing claimed.

It continued: “The government anticipates Defendant will note in reply that she did not in fact leave the country as scheduled—but it is difficult to know with certainty what Defendant would have done had the government not intervened.”

When prosecutors reached out to Holmes’ lawyers to express concerns about the travel, her attorney Lance Wade cast the planned flight as a misunderstanding. “In general, this was a reservation that was made before the verdict. The hope was that the verdict would be different and Ms. Holmes would be able to make this trip to attend the wedding of close friends,” he wrote. “Given the verdict, she does not plan to take the trip…But she also had not yet cancelled the trip, amidst everything that has been going on.”

In opposing Holmes’ bid to stay out of prison, officials added further context to her former travel plans. They noted that her partner, “William Evans, left on the scheduled date with a one-way ticket and did not return until approximately six weeks later, returning from a different continent.” It’s not clear what Evans did during that trip, which took place roughly six months after Holmes gave birth to their first child.

As she prepares to possibly begin her 135-month sentence, the 38-year-old is living comfortably on an “estate,” the filing stated, and her “monthly expenses exceed $13,000.” Meanwhile, it added, Evans’ salary is listed as “$0,” even though Holmes has pushed for her travel restrictions to be relaxed “due to her significant other’s employment.”

Holmes, the prosecutors argued, “continues to show no remorse to her victims.”