The Theranos CEO will now call FPC Bryan in Texas, a minimum-security, all-female prison, home – a sharp contrast from her cushy, California lifestyle
Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reported to a federal prison camp Tuesday, beginning her 11-year sentence for defrauding investors out of millions of dollars in connection with her Silicon Valley startup.
Holmes, 39, was convicted in 2022 on four counts of fraud.
The convicted felon and mother of two now calls Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas, a minimum-security, all-female prison, home — a sharp contrast from her life as a CEO.
The facility, located 100 miles outside of Houston, houses 655 non-violent offenders, many of which have been convicted of white-collar crimes.
According to Lynn Espejo, a former FPC Bryan inmate and now-criminal justice reform advocate, Holmes will room with three other cellmates in a tight, concrete space, FOX Business reports.
Citing a sketch from previous convicts obtained by The Wall Street Journal, prison cells at the camp are sparsely furnished, with bunk beds, a table, folding chairs and lockers.
Per the prison handbook, inmates are responsible for keeping the space clean and sanitized by making their beds, sweeping and mopping their room floor and taking out the trash.
Espejo says Holmes will be assigned a “big sister” who will help her become acclimated to life in prison, according to FOX.
She will be able to communicate with loved ones via email, phone and video calls, per a monthly time allotment, the handbook states. The amounts of photographs and letters will also be regulated.
Holmes will be limited to all-khaki outfits and allowed at least three changes of clothes weekly. She is allowed to possess one radio or MP3 player and a watch.
Inmates may be subject to searches to control contraband, according to the handbook.
They are assigned jobs that pay between $0.23 and $1.15, and are initially appointed to food service but may also opt to perform factory-related jobs producing products and services for the federal government, such as mattresses, towels and data entry. But given Holmes’ professional experience, she will likely teach classes to other inmates, Espejo tells FOX.
Holmes will be allowed to spend $360 per month at the commissary on things like hygiene items or “merchandise and services either not provided by the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) or a different quality than that provided by the BOP,” the handbook states.
FPC Bryan also offers inmates opportunities to participate in wellness programs, religious services, and recreation activities.
Although it may not be as rough as other prisons, Espejo says it’s still “horrible.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s the hellhole of the [Bureau of Prisons], but it’s close,” she says, the outlet reports.