Hey there, tech enthusiasts! Let’s dive into an unfolding drama in the world of technology and ethics.

Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the controversial figures behind Theranos, faced another setback as their appeals to overturn their fraud convictions were recently denied by the Northern District Court of California.

This ruling firmly upholds their prison sentences and a hefty joint restitution order of $452 million, reminiscent of a storyline straight out of a tech thriller.

Both Holmes and Balwani were previously convicted in separate trials back in 2022 for misleading investors about Theranos’s supposed groundbreaking blood-testing technologies.

Holmes’s prison sentence extends to more than 11 years, while Balwani is set to serve nearly 13 years. They began serving these sentences in 2023, marking a severe contrast to the ambitious visions they once projected.

In their appeal, they argued that key testimonies from former Theranos employees were improperly allowed, as these individuals crossed into expert territory without the necessary credentials.

While the appeals panel acknowledged the validity of their concern, it ultimately found these errors to be harmless, leading to more frustrations for the defendants.

Moreover, Holmes disputed the county’s use of a damaging government report that outlined failures in their lab, claiming it unduly influenced the jury’s decisions.

However, the court deemed the report crucial for understanding her knowledge and intent, thus bolstering the prosecution’s stance.

Holmes also raised issues regarding her rights when it came to cross-examining a former lab director. The appellate panel, however, sided with the lower court’s discretion in limiting her inquiries.

As for Balwani, he contended that the jury’s deliberations had been unfairly tainted by uncorrected false testimonies from investors. The court swiftly dismissed this claim as well, stating it wouldn’t have swayed the jury’s outcome.

Currently, Balwani is serving his time at Terminal Island, a federal facility near Los Angeles, while Holmes is at FPC Bryan, a federal camp located about 100 miles from Houston. Their stories continue to serve as cautionary tales about ambition and ethics in the tech world.