US rests its case against fallen tech star Elizabeth Holmes

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. rested its case Friday in the trial of fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes after spending more than two months trying to prove she bamboozled investors and patients into believing that her startup, Theranos, would reshape health care.

Holmes and her team of lawyers now have the opportunity to counter evidence introduced by prosecutors that cast her as a greedy, fame-obsessed swindler. They are also likely to argue that the former Theranos CEO never broke the law while pursuing her audacious ambitions to shake up the blood-testing industry with what she billed as revolutionary technology.

And one big question now comes to the fore: Will Holmes take the stand in her own defense?

Her lawyers aren't saying. But doing so might be her best chance to persuade the jury to acquit her of fraud charges that could land her in prison for up to 20 years.

For much of the past three months, the former entrepreneur has sat stoically to the right of the jury that will determine her fate. Typically bolt upright in her chair and staring straight ahead, Holmes has remained impassive as even one-time supporters testified to their misgivings about her actions while leading Theranos.

Jurors, however, have heard recordings of Holmes boasting to investors about purported breakthroughs in a blood-testing technology that proved to be untrue.

Prosecutors called an array of witnesses in an effort to prove that Holmes endangered patient’s lives while also duping investors and customers about Theranos' technology. The pitch: a Theranos device called the Edison would scan for hundreds of health problems with a few drops of blood. Had it worked as promised, the Edison could have revolutionized healthcare by making it easier and cheaper to scan for early signs...