Elizabeth Holmes Prosecutors Target ‘Lying and Cheating’ in Theranos Trial

Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes isn’t the “villain” prosecutors have depicted, her lawyer told a jury, while warning that the “reality” behind the most highly anticipated criminal trial in Silicon Valley history is “technical and boring.”

With the benefit of knowing that the blood-testing startup failed, prosecutors have previewed the fraud case against Holmes through a “dirty lens” by “pointing to select facts to portray the company unfavorably,” attorney Lance Wade said during opening arguments Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, California.

“When you view the world through a dirty lens, everything looks dirty,” Wade said. “When you consider all of the facts through a clean lens you will see a different picture. The reality of what happened at Theranos is far, far more complicated than what you’ve heard so far.”