Ex-Theranos boss Sunny Balwani sells house he shared with Elizabeth Holmes

The posh Northern California home where disgraced ex-Theranos executives Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani and Elizabeth Holmes nurtured their secret love affair for a decade has been sold.

The home in the upscale Silicon Valley enclave of Atherton, California, was sold by Balwani last January for $15.8 million – double what he paid to buy Holmes’ fractional ownership of the property four years ago would have. according to the information.

The 6,800-square-foot home at 227 Park Lane is a 1-acre estate with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a stone courtyard, swimming pool, French provincial architecture, gated entrance, crystal chandeliers, manicured gardens and a one-bedroom inn.

During her trial last fall, Holmes, who faces up to 80 years in prison after being convicted of investor fraud, testified that she and Balwani formed a limited company in July 2013 to buy the home. The couple paid $9 million for the home.

In 2018, Balwani bought out Holmes, who owned a 50% stake in the LLC, for $7.9 million. The transaction came under scrutiny by prosecutors in Holmes’ trial, in which Holmes testified that she had received no proceeds from the sale, according to the report.

“The timing of the transfer of ownership, the upcoming fees [that Holmes was facing] and the fact that she received no consideration for her interest in the property…that sounds like a liability protection strategy,” tax advisor Robert Willens told the publication, calling the sale “a red flag” for investigators. “Before a negative judgment is passed and you are held liable for monetary damages, you want to vacate assets as quickly as possible.”

When they bought the house, Holmes was CEO of Theranos, the now-defunct healthcare start-up that claimed to have developed technology that would allow people to take blood tests themselves with a finger prick. Balwani was the company’s chief operating officer.

Balwani is set to face trial for his role in fraud and deception involving blood testing devices that never did what they allegedly did.

Like his former partner — who was found guilty of four counts of fraud in January and is awaiting $500,000 bail while awaiting conviction — he faces multiple counts of wire fraud. Jury selection is currently underway in San Jose, California.

During her trial, Holmes claimed her ex was physically, emotionally and sexually abusive.

“He told me I didn’t know what I was doing in the business, that my beliefs were wrong, that he was amazed at my mediocrity, and that if I followed my instincts I would fail,” she testified.

“He made me have sex with him when I didn’t want to because he wanted me to know he still loved me.”

She also claimed under oath that he exercised a high degree of control over her.

Balwani reportedly told Holmes what to eat, alienated her from her family and imposed a schedule that had her work seven days a week.

According to Slate, he snooped on her text messages and threw “sharp, hard objects” at her.

Balwani has denied Holmes’ allegations. He has also pleaded not guilty to the fraud charge.

The federal government accused him of “making false claims about Theranos’ ability to provide accurate, fast, reliable, and cheap blood tests and test results.”