The defense has rested in Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial, and closing arguments will begin next week
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- The defense in Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial rested Wednesday after she testified for 7 days.
- The prosecution offered no rebuttal, and closing arguments will begin on Dec. 16.
- This is Week 14 of trial for the Theranos founder, who faces charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.
Elizabeth Holmes' criminal fraud trial is one step closer to its conclusion.
Defense attorneys for the Theranos founder rested their case on Wednesday after Holmes finished her seventh day on the witness stand. The prosecution didn't have a rebuttal, and closing arguments are now scheduled to begin on Dec. 16.
Prosecutors had rested on Nov. 19 after having called 29 witnesses of their own over the course of 11 weeks. On the same day, the defense called its first witness, paralegal Trent Middleton from Williams & Connolly, the law firm representing Holmes. Middleton summarized evidence in the case before the defense moved on to its second witness, Fabrizio Bonanni, a former Theranos board member. He recalled being asked by Holmes to be Theranos' COO but declined, saying he was "too old for that" and joined the board instead to advise the company on matters like quality control and compliance, according to The Washington Post.
The defense's case has relied heavily on testimony from Holmes herself, who was its third and final witness. In her time on the stand, Holmes has admitted to keeping Theranos' use of modified third-party devices a secret from investors and Walgreens, with which Theranos once had a contract. Holmes said company counsel had told her to hide this in order to protect trade secrets. In addition, Holmes admitted to adding Pfizer's logo without authorization to company validation reports that later played a key role in drawing investors.
Holmes also has testified that Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, her ex-boyfriend and Theranos' former COO and president, abused her. She has recounted her efforts to kill the Wall Street Journal's 2015 investigation into Theranos and expressed her regret over Theranos' treatment of whistleblowers.
Holmes is charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She has pled not guilty. If convicted, for each count, she faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and restitution to victims.