A Former American General's Blood Is Drawn By Elizabeth Holmes.

But until 2016, she didn't know what to believe after being accused of cheating. Ms. Holmes, 37, denies allegations of defrauding patients and investors. Once dubbed "the next Steve Jobs," the former entrepreneur rose to prominence in 2013 thanks to a technology he says can test for various ailments with just a few drops of blood from a finger prick.

General Mathis, who served under Donald Trump, was one of several political officials on Theranos' board of directors - in his case between 2013 and 2016. In court in San Jose on Wednesday, He said he was "recently adopted" by Ms. Holmes. He even took his blood behind the scenes after an event in San Francisco in 2011 to show how easy the test was.

"It was something very new, to be honest, I was amazed at what was possible based on what Miss Holmes said," he said. The entrepreneur, who has also convinced high-profile investors like Rupert Murdoch to back him, is "sharp, eloquent, committed."

When the Wall Street Journal reported in 2015 that the Terrano's test was wrong, General Mathis initially thought the "aggressive reporter" misrepresented the facts. The newspaper also claims that Theranos did most of its testing on machines available from other manufacturers.

Once considered a visionary, Ms. Holmes was banned from running a blood-testing company for two years in 2016, and the company closed in 2018. Prosecutors said Ms. Holmes and his ex-girlfriend and partner Ramesh Balvani turned to scams in 2009 after a major pharmaceutical company refused to support Theranos and ran out of money.

They allegedly lied about the tests and exaggerated their work to secure a $700 million investment. However, Ms. Holmes said he had no intention of cheating but was "naively belittling" his company's challenges. Ms. Holmes also alleged that Mr. Balwani had abused her emotionally and psychologically for years and worsened her mental state. Mr. Balwani denies the allegations.