Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes recently complained that her federal prison camp did not allow her and her fellow inmates to watch President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Holmes is currently incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas after being convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2022.
On February 25, 2026, Elizabeth Holmes took to her X account to complain about not being allowed to watch Trump’s State of the Union address, which was held the previous day. She further alleged that the system was “broken” as the federal prison camp allowed inmates to “stay up past count” to watch the BET Awards, adding:
“My federal prison camp let inmates stay up past count for the BET Music Awards. Last night they wouldn’t let us watch the State of the Union. The Bureau of Prisons would rather we be entertained than educated. The system is broken.”
In a follow-up post, she added that she had learned her camp leadership was unaware of the State of the Union address, writing:
“Update: I’ve now learned that Bryan Prison camp leadership was not aware there was a State of the Union address last night. They have committed to ensuring we can watch future presidential addresses, debates, and other major political events going forward.”
Elizabeth Holmes is scheduled for release on April 3, 2032
Elizabeth Holmes reportedly dropped out of Stanford University at the age of 19 to focus on developing health care technology and founded Theranos, a blood-testing start-up, in 2003. Her company was funded by the likes of Robert Murdoch, and Holmes became the United States’ youngest self-made billionaire in 2014.
Her company specialized in creating a device, called the Edison, that was believed to conduct conventional laboratory and blood tests with just a finger prick and a few drops of blood. It reportedly offered more than 240 tests ranging from cholesterol to cancer.
However, an exposé by The Wall Street Journal, dated October 16, 2015, cast doubt on the company’s claims. This report instigated a federal probe into Holmes and an indictment that charged Holmes and Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of misleading and defrauding investors and patients.
Elizabeth Holmes’ trial began in 2022, and she began her sentence in 2023. At the time of her sentencing, U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds said:
“When fraud is perpetrated on those providing the necessary capital, it staunches investment and can cripple an industry. For almost a decade, Elizabeth Holmes fabricated and spread elaborate falsehoods to draw in a legion of capital investors, both big and small, and her deceit caused the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. Her sentence reflects the audacity of her massive fraud and the staggering damage she caused.”
Holmes was a new first-time mom before her trial began in 2022, and she gave birth to her second child in 2023, months before she was scheduled to begin her sentencing. She began her sentence on May 30, 2023, and is scheduled to be released on April 3, 2032.
According to a People Magazine interview in February 2025, Elizabeth Holmes maintains her innocence, adding:
“Then it was about forgiving myself for my own part. [And] I refused to plead guilty to crimes I did not commit. Theranos failed. But failure is not fraud.”
Elizabeth Holmes reportedly works as a reentry clerk in prison, earning 31 cents an hour. She also works as a law clerk and teaches French to fellow inmates.
Edited by Juhi Marzia