Elizabeth Holmes bought one-way ticket to Mexico after convicted of fraud (opens in new tab)

The only possible redeeming feature of the round trip plan is that, when the government inevitably finds out about it, at least you have a slightly easier time explaining that you’d planned on coming back. I mean it is the thinnest probably-electroplated silver lining in the sense that they probably won’t believe you but at least there’s some minuscule evidence in your favor.

This is actually the first time I've heard that. Is this urban legend (it is funny as hell), or did it actually happen?

"Two of these pieces bore a vehicle identification number (VIN) that the FBI traced to a rental agency in Jersey City, N.J. The man who rented the truck, Mohammed Salameh, had reported it stolen.

Seeking a refund of his $400 deposit, Salameh repeatedly returned to the Jersey City rental agency where he rented the Ryder van. Working with the rental office personnel, FBI agents arrested Salameh." [0]

So, yes, it really did happen. At least he reported it stolen first. I cannot believe that did not eliminate him as a suspect as that was such a well thought out alibi. Besides, how much was that $400 refund in comparison to the money that Osama surely must have paid him to carry out the deed.

[0]https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/1993-world-trade-ce...

This may happen once in a while due to some algorithm weirdness, but it is absolutely not "often" the case.

I challenge you to find a roundtrip ticket from anywhere to anywhere that is cheaper than the one way.

How do you get through the Darién Gap? Just hack your own road?

are you suggesting it would be better to be on the lamb in remote parts right under the noses of the gov't attempting to be avoided? how well did that work out for Ted Kaczynski or Eric Rudolf and these were guys that loved the idea of living in the wilderness. how well do you think little ms pampered would make in a cabin in the woods?

Especially when you’re in California and Mexico is next door. You can just drive there.

Which helps the story that it wasn’t an escape plan because they couldn’t be that stupid, could they?

pro-tip 4: be a better criminal and avoid federal investigation

People miss flights all the time. You have to get really unlucky for a one-off flight miss to result in a ban

You don't travel much, do you? Worst case, you loose the money spend on the ticket and you have to buy a new one. Unless, of course, you planned for a pretty long vacation anyway.

I think that's more of an issue with 'hidden city ticketing'/deliberately missing connections, because it's cheaper than buying a ticket to the layover location.

This is idiotic. No airline has ever permanently banned a passenger for missing a flight. The most that can happen is if you miss the first leg they will automatically cancel the second one.

Back in reality, people miss flights all the time. Not only are you not banned from flying the airline, you often get a credit that you can apply for your next flight.

Airplane seats are oversold, so airlines don't care.

sure, but once you're in mexico it's just a quick courtesy call to the airline to let them know you're an international fugitive from justice and won't be able to catch your return flight.

Airlines aren't your parents.

Seriously? That's Orwellian.

There really aren't that many places that won't extradite an American back to America. Like, North Korea and maybe Iran. All the other countries famous for not having extradition treaties with the US like Vietnam are happy to extradite on a case by case basis.

There are plenty of countries that won't extradite their nationals as a matter of policy like China, Russia, Switzerland, Lebanon, and so on (it's most of the world, probably), but the vast majority won't bat an eye to throwing her back to the US based LEO wolves.

Cooba!

I am continually baffled just how utterly stupid these rich people are.

Who in their right mind enters a flight manifest, let alone an international one, as a high profile wanted person.

The existence of parents addicted to heroin doesn’t make having another kid to get a lighter sentence any less fucked up, rich or poor

She got pregnant as she was awaiting trial.

An alternative explanation that's just as plausible: Faced with an 11 year federal prison sentence at age 38, she saw this as her last chance to have biological children.

The third person that came to your mind alongside Alexander Dugin and Mussolini was a Canadian professor and his fad diet promoting daughter?

My point is that in her situation disappearing was pretty easy. Buying a one-way ticket to Mexico 20 days out is as stupid as one can do, because now she will be labeled as a flight risk, making disappearance a lot harder.

FTX guy didn't really have time. One day he was rich and famous, next day he was a criminal.

Holmes had years to plan, as she knew for a long time that she is eventually going to jail.

FTX guy literally owned by proxy rights to a yacht. I seriously don't get why he didn't flee the island as soon as he knew the jig was up.

>Why would you be inclined to give a convicted fraudster the benefit of the doubt?

Lol, thanks for that!

I'm currently going through some sort of anxiety moment after I realized my whole life I had to defend myself over things I would never do. I built and sell a SaaS offering and there's always this element of "I have to convince the other party this is not a con" because after all you're a salesman to them and you're always going to be biased towards your product.

I then contrast that with people who are blatantly lying and I feel like I live in two different worlds, one for myself, one for those others. Bankman-Fried, ESG, Holmes of course, not only they steal but even afterwards they still get to have the "benefit of the doubt" and other people make excuses for them about their behavior etc ... where the explanation is quite simple and doesn't need 20/20 vision "they are fraudsters, they steal money through lies and their schemes". Clown world.

In the case of this ticket thing, when her significant other then went on the trip and came back, presumably not by himself. I'm willing to give the the benefit of the doubt here because we clearly are missing important information. Like I said, I don't support her.

In one sense, some justice has already been served as she is out of business and can't be in the medical business. I'm sure she is still subject to civil liabilities too. She is not an immediate danger to society, there is not a lot of value in locking her up. There would be more value in extended community service than there would be in confinement.

Is there a concern that she'll flee to Mexico and start up a brand new multibillion dollar fraud? I just wouldn't see any attempt to actually flee from justice on this case to be particularly fruitful, if she's capable of committing this fraud, then she's clearly capable of seeing the futility in fleeing to Mexico.

In that sense, I'm happy to give her the benefit of the doubt; certainly, more benefit than I would afford to anyone who was on the board of directors.

That and posing for photos of her holding up a vial of blood and peering thoughtfully into it

Actually she was right, she is waiting prison sentence, but she is not in jail