Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the failed blood-testing startup Theranos, is asking President Donald Trump to cut short her prison sentence. Holmes, now 37, wants out of the nearly six years remaining on her 11-year term for defrauding investors who believed in her once-hyped technology.

The Formal Route in an Informal Era

Holmes submitted her clemency request last year through the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, the traditional channel for such appeals. According to The Guardian, the petition is currently listed as pending with no action taken yet.

She was convicted in 2022 on four counts of wire fraud for misleading investors about Theranos' capabilities and began serving her sentence in 2023. The conviction marked a spectacular fall from grace for someone once celebrated as the next Steve Jobs.

An Unconventional Pardon Landscape

NBC News reporter Ryan J. Reilly discussed Holmes' filing on air Wednesday, noting the irony of her taking the formal approach. "Why not?" Reilly said. "She's filed through the formal process… which is like, that's not normally the way that a lot of these pardons are getting done these days."

Reilly characterized the current situation as "the Wild West of the pardon era," where access and lobbying frequently matter more than official review procedures. He pointed out that using the right political language can be effective, and that the clemency process has become "really profitable" for well-connected applicants.

An NBC News analysis revealed that Trump has granted an unusually high number of pardons and commutations to wealthy individuals convicted of financial crimes.

Fighting the Conviction

Holmes isn't just waiting quietly for a decision. She posted on X that she plans to keep fighting to prove her innocence, accusing the justice system of being weaponized against her.

"We are continuing to fight for my innocence and we know the truth can not be repressed for ever," she wrote, adding that the fight is "just beginning." Holmes said she would make her account private again within 12 hours.

Another Tech Criminal Gets Early Release

Holmes' clemency bid comes as other high-profile financial criminals are getting out early. Earlier this month, convicted Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein announced he'd been released early from prison under the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law signed by President Trump.

Lichtenstein admitted to stealing nearly 120,000 bitcoin in a 2016 hack. He said he plans to work in cybersecurity and thanked his supporters. A Trump administration official confirmed he'd served a significant portion of his five-year sentence before being moved to home confinement.

Lichtenstein was sentenced in November 2024 and received credit for time already served following his 2022 arrest. Federal records still listed his official release date as February 9, indicating he remained under supervision.