Advertisement

Elizabeth Holmes is incarcerated at the same prison camp as 'Real Housewives' star Jen Shah

Elizabeth Holmes and Jen Shah
Elizabeth Holmes and Jen Shah are both serving sentences at Camp Bryan.Gotham/GC Images and Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Elizabeth Holmes reported to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas to begin her 11-year, three-month sentence.

  • She'll share a facility with fellow inmate Jen Shah, star of "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."

  • At Camp Bryan, inmates are required to work, and are able to take classes on the side.

Last week, Elizabeth Holmes reported to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas to begin her 11-year, three-month sentence after a jury convicted her on fraud and conspiracy charges. She'll share a facility with fellow inmate Jen Shah, star of "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."

"There's a guarantee they're going to run into one another," Shah's prison consultant Justin Paperny told ET. "There's also going to be an understanding amongst them, so for that reason, I suspect they'll connect. They may become friends."

The minimum-security prison houses around 655 inmates and has had its share of notable faces — including Hot Pockets heiress Michelle Janavs who was involved with the 2019 college admission scandal, and Jan. 6 Capitol riot participant Jenna Ryan.

Holmes was convicted of four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy for deceiving investors who contributed millions of dollars to Theranos, her failed biotech startup that claimed to be able to scan for medical disorders using only a single drop of blood. At one time, the company was upheld as revolutionary for the medical industry, with Holmes gracing the cover of Forbes. The startup's catastrophic downfall captured the public's attention, spawning documentaries, and books, podcasts, and TV shows.

Shah was sentenced to 6.5 years, which was later reduced by over a year, after pleading guilty to wire fraud charges for her part in a telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly.

The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023, where Theranos' founder Elizabeth Holmes will serve her prison sentence.
The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023, where Theranos' founder Elizabeth Holmes will serve her prison sentence.Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

'I want to be her friend'

Current inmates at Camp Bryan told the Wall Street Journal that there has been heightened anticipation for Holmes' arrival. A copy of "Bad Blood" — the bestselling book by John Carreyrou that detailed the demise of Theranos — was reportedly found in the prison's library.

"Some people are like 'I want to be her friend,'" current inmate Tasha Wade told the Wall Street Journal about the buzz around Holmes' arrival. "But other people are like, 'I can't believe that's all she got for taking all that money.'"

Another inmate told WSJ that they heard a corrections officer joking that they looked forward to making Holmes scrub pans.

'There are not many kind people in this place'

Shah has been detailing her experiences at Camp Bryan via a series of online journals. In one from March 9, she writes, "there are not many kind people in this place." Shah also writes about the facility's brown bag breakfasts — which include "one piece of wheat bread, an apple, two packets of jelly and a packet of instant oatmeal" — and about making phone calls to the outside world.

At Camp Bryan, inmates are required to work, and are able to take classes on the side — including ones on business skills.

"She could work as an orderly scrubbing toilets and showers. She can work in food service, scrubbing pots and pans, serving food in the buffet line three times a week," Paperny told ET, referring to jobs at the facility Holmes could take on. "Jennifer Shah, thankfully, was able to get a wonderful job in education where she is teaching."

According to TMZ Shah also reportedly organized a play with her fellow inmates called "Real Housewives of Bryan."

In an emailed statement, Shah's representative Chris Giovanni said, "Jen has since adjusted to prison life, building strong connections with some of the other female inmates through her religion, her 'SHAH-MAZING ABS' fitness class, and upcoming play that the ladies are putting together within Bryan."

Attorneys representing Holmes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider