Theranos Founder Charged With Massive Fraud by SEC
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and chief executive of scandal-ridden blood-testing startup Theranos, Inc., has been formally charged with fraud by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alongside the company’s former president, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, for their role in fleecing investors of more than US$ 700 million using grossly exaggerated claims about the efficacy and business potential of their core product. Theranos and Holmes have agreed to settle the charges levied against them in court, with Holmes agreeing to pay US$ 500,000 in penalties, according to an announcement from the commission.
As part of the settlement, Holmes has forfeited her shares and voting control of Theranos and been barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for the next 10 years. No such agreement was made with Balwani, who will face the SEC’s lawyers in federal district court in the Northern District Court of California. The charges come nearly two years after the SEC first began its investigation into Theranos, following an explosive report published by The Wall Street Journal in October 2015 quoting former employees that claimed the company’s revolutionary blood-testing equipment was built on a sham.
Big Dreams
A Stanford dropout whose penchant for black turtlenecks and promising technological marvels once drew comparisons to Silicon Valley deity Steve Jobs, Holmes captivated investors in 2003 with her pitch to develop a portable blood analyzer that could run a comprehensive suite of tests using only a few drops of blood, and at a fraction of the cost of devices currently on the market. In truth, however, Theranos’ mythical proprietary technology – dubbed the Edison machine after the prolific inventor – turned out to be capable of only a small fraction of what was promised, with the vast majority of tests being ran on traditional machines manufactured by companies like Siemens.
Attracting Big Names
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Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) inked a deal to acquire Dallas-based HFF, Inc. JLL will acquire all the outstanding shares of HFF in a cash and stock transaction with an equity value of approximately US$ 2 billion. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Mark Gibson, CEO of HFF, will join JLL as CEO, Capital Markets, Americas and Co-Chair of its Global Capital Markets Board. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019, subject to HFF shareholder approval and customary closing conditions, including regulatory review.
Transaction Details
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The Polish Development Fund, known locally as Polski Fundusz Rozwoju S.A. (PFR), signed a deal to lead an investor group to acquire the largest container terminal in Gdansk from an infrastructure fund managed by Macquarie. The transaction is worth more than 5 billion zlotys (US$ 1.3 billion). DCT Gdansk is the only terminal in Baltic sea region that can serve Ultra Large Container Vessels, also known as UCLVs.
The Polish Development Fund and IFM Investors will each acquire a 30% stake in the Gdansk terminal, while PSA International Pte Ltd (which is owned by Temasek Holdings), will own 40% of the terminal.
Macquarie was advised by Goldman Sachs.
Tulsa-based Williams Companies Inc. (Williams) disclosed a series of transactions that will establish a new platform for the optimization of its midstream operations in the western Marcellus and Utica basins through a long-term partnership with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). This deal gives CPPIB more exposure to the North American natural gas market.
CPPIB Investment
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