Elizabeth Holmes, who was convicted of defrauding investors at her failed blood testing start-up, Theranos, reported to the Bryan women's federal prison in Texas on Tuesday to begin her 11-year, three-month term. Bryan’s 655 inmates are required to work in the cafeteria or in a manufacturing facility, where pay starts at $1.15 an hour, the New York Times reports. Holmes may take a test to assess her strengths in areas such as business, clerical, numerical, logic, mechanical and “social.” Inmates may enroll in a “Lean Six Sigma” training program to learn about efficiency. "We to help our ladies obtain work in the factory which focuses on their strengths so they may develop additional marketable skills,” the prison’s handbook says.
Holmes, 39, was found guilty last year of four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy for falsely claiming that Theranos’s blood tests could detect many ailments with just a few drops of blood. She and her former business partner, Ramesh Balwani, must together pay $452 million to investors who were defrauded. Holmes has appealed her case, though her requests to remain out of prison during the appeal were denied. The two young children of Holmes and Billy Evans will be able to conduct video calls with Holmes and visit her on weekends and federal holidays. Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes each, up to 300 minutes per month. Holmes, known for wearing black turtlenecks to mimic Steve Jobs while running Theranos, now wears prison-issued khaki pants and shirts in pastel green, gray or white with athletic shoes that must not exceed $100 in value. She will not have internet access but can buy a radio ($31.75) or an MP3 player ($88.40). Bryan offers activities including music programs, “table games” and movies. Arts and crafts are available. Inmates have access to an outdoor “recreation yard pavilion” but must return to their dorms for head counts five times every 24 hours. Other inmates at the prison camp include Jen Shah, a “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star who is serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence for wire fraud related to telemarketing.