Elizabeth Holmes tried to appeal to Rupert Murdoch to ask him to stop the Wall Street Journal from publishing its expose revealing Theranos' alleged fraud, prosecutors told the court on Tuesday.
Her trial also heard how the former CEO's lavish lifestyle and hunger for fame fueled the fraud.
The 37-year-old's reputation as a high flying successful tech CEO began to unravel, as did her luxury lifestyle of private jets, high end hotels and a team of assistants to serve her every whim, after the WSJ began investigating Theranos in 2015.
Seemingly panicked, Holmes turned directly to the media tycoon who had invested $125 million in the company.
But he lost his cash after its failings were first exposed by The Wall Street Journal - one of Murdoch's publications.
In an email from January 2015, Holmes wrote to Murdoch: 'It was wonderful to have you here today. I so look forward to the opportunity to continue our conversations, including one day a more detailed conversation on China. It would be an honor to have you be part of our company.'
Murdoch responded: 'Thanks Elizabeth. Enjoyed every minute of it. Any blood results? See you soon, Rupert.'
But as the Wall Street Journal started digging into the failed company in the same year, Holmes appealed to Murdoch to ask him to squash the articles suggesting Theranos' devices were flawed and inaccurate, and reminding him that he had invested in the company.
Court sketch of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes during cross examination on Tuesday
Prosecutors also argued that the hunger for fame and fortune were behind Holmes' decision to commit fraud
Holmes' email included an attachment of a briefing document sent by her attorney David Boies asking that former Wall Street Journal editor in chief Gerard Baker meet with her team.
'As I've reflected on this, I thought that were I in your shoes I would want to know/be in the loop on this one,' Holmes wrote to Murdoch. 'We are very much hoping that Gerard will meet with our team. If you have thoughts on this please let me know.'
In the email she attached all the material Theranos shared with WSJ reporter John Carreyrou who was investigating the company.
Boies previously met with Carreyrou, his editor and a lawyer at the paper's newsroom in New York, and threatened litigation in letters.
Holmes testified that she reached out to Murdoch again after WSJ published it's first investigative report on Theranos on October 15, 2015.
During her cross examination on Tuesday Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Leach focused on Holmes' response to Carreyrou's reporting.
Prosecutors said Holmes turned directly to The Wall Street Journal's owner Rupert Murdoch (pictured) in 2015 in an effort to stop the reporting on her company
Court sketch of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes being cross examined by prosecutor Robert Leach
Prosecutors displayed text messages between Holmes and her then-boyfriend Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani, 56, plotting how to to 'get ahead' of the upcoming WSJ story.
In the messages Holmes and Balwani discussed altering Carreyrou's blood test. In another text they mocked his French accent and speculated as to who Carreyrou's sources were.
'I couldn't say it more strongly: The way we handled the Wall Street Journal process was a disaster,' Holmes testified on Tuesday. 'We totally messed it up.'
Holmes, who declined Carreyrou's requests for an interview for five months before his initial article, admitted she went to great lengths to protect Theranos trade secrets.
'We were certainly actively engaged with Mr. Carreyrou,' Holmes testified. 'We were very worried about Mr. Carreyrou's story.'
'I think I mishandled the entire process of the Wall Street Journal reporting,' Holmes added.
Elizabeth Holmes' apartment in Lombard Street, the famous San Francisco road (pictured)
The entrance to Elizabeth Holmes' swanky apartment in San Francisco road (pictured)
Prosecutors also argued that the hunger for fame and fortune were behind her decision to commit fraud.
Before the jury entered the courtroom Assistant Attorney Leach said prosecutors planned on grilling Holmes about her extravagant lifestyle, including trips she took on the company's private jet and her powwowing with the rich and famous.
'She coveted fame, she covered attention, she coveted the ability to interact with these people,' Assistant Attorney Leach said. 'That's a very powerful part of her motive.'
But Holmes's attorney Kevin Downey objected to the evidence and referred a pre-trial order from U.S. District Judge Edward Davila that limited evidence about Holmes's lifestyle and wealth, WSJ reported.
Leach rebutted that as CEO Holmes enjoyed a large salary and took frequent trips on to Mexico.
Leach also added that Holmes owned a home with her former boyfriend Balwani.
