What's Up With Those Elizabeth Holmes Billboards in Miami?

Because Miami seems to attract all manner of con artists, it likely came as no surprise when billboards popped up this month proclaiming the innocence of notorious biotech fraudster Elizabeth Holmes.

But why is Holmes, who is serving an 11-year sentence in Texas for conspiring to commit wire fraud by lying about the effectiveness of her California-based company's blood-testing technology, Theranos, displayed on billboards in Miami?

The answer is simple: a Palm Beach entrepreneur and filmmaker says he replicated Holmes' tests, so she must be innocent, according to a YouTube video he's promoting.

Ryan "Egypt" El-Hosseiny, whose LinkedIn says he worked his way up from a Winn-Dixie bag boy to CEO for various health companies, claims to have relaunched Theranos this year and, on a company website, refers to Holmes and himself as "the inventors." In his bio, El-Hosseiny also asserts that he's "often referred to as the 'Steve Jobs of medical labs.'"

Holmes founded Theranos in 2003, claiming her blood-testing technology only required a finger prick rather than a traditional blood draw to test for several diseases, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). But evidence presented in court showed Holmes knew the analyzer wasn't producing accurate and reliable results, which led to her 2022 conviction. El-Hosseiny, however, claims he replicated Holmes' work during a theatrical April 22 demonstration at Miami's premier institution for scientific discussions: LIV Nightclub. During the over-the-top performance, El-Hosseiny drops zingers like "Free Elizabeth Holmes!" and "Bring me the number one scientist in the world, bring him to me, he cannot beat me!"

Later, faux police officers arrest an actress playing Holmes (clad in an orange prison jumpsuit), and rappers like Fabulous, Jadakiss, and Trinidad James perform.

El-Hosseiny will deliver his next presentation to a seemingly more appropriate audience: The Longevity Expo in Palm Beach on May 31 and June 1, according to a press release.

A seven-minute preview of his claims shows El-Hosseiny running a mock trial against Holmes, replete with a fake mustache and other props.  According to his website, his theatrics actually serve a purpose.

El-Hosseiny's "rare blend of expertise in healthcare, business, and the arts fuels a bold and unconventional approach to innovation," it states. "By uniting science with storytelling, and diagnostics with design, he continues to push boundaries and redefine what's possible in medical technology."

In an effort to prove his notion that Holmes is innocent, El-Hosseiny launched the website justblood.com earlier this year and started a petition, which has garnered 77 signatures since opening on April 24.