Holmes Protection Focuses on Undermining Testimony of SF Hedge-Fund Supervisor – CBS San Francisco
SAN JOSE (KPIX) – An Arizona woman testified in the fraud trial against Elizabeth Holmes on Wednesday that Theranos gave her a false positive blood test for HIV.
Erin Tompkins, of Phoenix, Arizona, testified that she became interested in Theranos after reading an article in Fortune Magazine.
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In 2015 she got a blood test from a fingertip at a location in Theranos and liked that it was affordable. But their results were positive for HIV antibodies.
She got emotional and said she had no help from Theranos customer service.
So she got a second test from another lab that came back negative and has since tested negative.
It was a dramatic departure from the lengthy cross-examination of San Francisco-based hedge fund manager and investor Brian Grossman.
Grossman testified for prosecutors that Elizabeth Holmes lied to him, which resulted in his company losing $ 96 million.
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But defense attorney Lance Wade tried to turn the tables, showing that Grossman based his investment on his own overly optimistic and shaky calculations that Theranos could be worth over $ 20 billion by 2020.
“You are trying to say that the investment decision was made on the basis of this witness’s hype, the allegations that this witness made, not Elizabeth Holmes. They are trying to create reasonable doubts, “said Michele Hagan, a former prosecutor and legal expert who is following the process.
Trying to keep to his schedule, the judge expressed frustration with the defense attorneys, pointing out that Grossman’s cross-examination had lasted six and a half hours, while the face-to-face indictment lasted an hour and a half.
“The defense has the right to ask all kinds of questions,” said Hagan.
Sit up, listen carefully, and barely move a muscle during the entire process, was Elizabeth Holmes. She has faced multiple cases of criminal fraud and conspiracy. These charges could jail her for up to 20 years.
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Calling their final witnesses, prosecutors have previously said that they will likely close their case by Friday.
