The trial did reveal a large part of her and Theranos business behaviour is commonplace in Silicon Valley. Any hype to get investment dollars, fake it 'til you make it, embellish/lie about your accomplishments, party party party, investors are stupid when it comes to tech anyhow. This is the new norm and engineers get the rough ride.
Nikola with their fake electric truck is another classic example and they are only at $4.2B market cap and prototype stage.
Theranos did "erase" the customer database which contained all the names of people "tested" when the servers were decommissioned. One old copy made it to the prosecutors but the encryption key was not known. So proving who had their life upended by false test results for miscarriage, herpes, HIV, blood thickness, hormones etc. - was not possible for the prosecution. She and her people covered their tracks well.
I think Holmes did cross the line into criminality, her armada of lawyers can generate every excuse to let her get away with it and enjoy her cache of money.
Jail does not cure psychopathy, these people are extremely destructive and go to leadership positions. They have no guilt/remorse/conscience microchip in their head.
Boeing's Denis Muilenburg another example yet killed hundreds, ruined the company and slithered out, no problem.
Jury Verdict: "The jury convicted Holmes of the investor wire fraud conspiracy count and three substantive wire fraud counts relating to the scheme to defraud investors, including wire transfers totaling more than $140 million. The jury acquitted Holmes of the patient-related conspiracy wire fraud count and three additional wire fraud counts. One count of wire fraud relating to a Theranos patient was dismissed during the trial. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict with respect to three investor fraud-related counts."
"Holmes faces a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution, for the conspiracy count and each count of wire fraud. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553"