American businesswomen Elizabeth Holmes has been convicted of fraud, concluding an extraordinary three-month trial in California chronicling the decline of someone who once drew comparisons to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

The 37-year-old was found guilty of defrauding individuals into backing her now defunct startup Theranos, falsely claiming the health technology firm had developed revolutionary finger-prick blood-testing technology which could detect diseases. Prosecutors depicted Holmes as a charlatan obsessed with fame and playing the victim card, with friends of Holmes reportedly refusing to join her in support during trial out of embarrassment. 

Holmes remains on parole and faces up to 20-years in prison for each count. Her trial has brought to light a long list of the opulent and powerful people who bought into her fraudulence.

Among the biggest was Rupert Murdoch, with an eye-watering $125 million stake in Holmes’ business. The DeVos and Walton families also invested heavily, with $100 million and $150 million respectively. Other high-profile names include former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who invested $3 million. What’s that saying ? A fool and his money are soon parted.