Theranos executive Sunny Balwani gets nearly 13 years in prison

The former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani has been sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison. 

Balwani was convicted in July of 12 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the startup. 

Theranos was founded by Elizabeth Holmes, the company claimed it could test for hundreds of illnesses with just a few drops of blood from a finger prick. 

Holmes was sentenced to over 11 years in prison last month. 

Balwani did not speak as he was sentenced at the end of a nearly four-hour sentencing hearing on Wednesday. His lawyer said he plans to appeal. 

Balwani, unlike Holmes, was found guilty of defrauding patients who used the blood tests. 

Balwani, the company’s former president and chief operating officer, served as her second-in-command and had direct oversight over the company’s labs.