SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge rejected a bid for a new trial for Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes after concluding a key prosecution witness's recent remorseful attempt to contact her wasn't enough to award her another chance to avoid a potential prison sentence for defrauding investors at her blood-testing company.

The ruling is the latest setback for Holmes, a former Silicon Valley star who once boasted an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion but is now facing up to 20 years in prison.

Holmes' Oct. 17 hearing about her request for a new trial focused on remorseful remarks made in August by former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff, a pivotal witness who testified about Holmes' during her trial last year.

Besides rejecting Holmes' claim that a 10-minute visit Rosendorff made to her Silicon Valley home in August raised questions about misconduct at her trial, Davila also rebuffed two other motions for another trial in his 15-page ruling. One motion revolved around a description prosecutors made about her former lover and business partner, Rawesh “Sunny" Balwani, during closing arguments. The other motion focused on a dispute over whether the government withheld evidence pertaining to a Theranos database containing results of its blood tests.

Holmes, 38, will be sentenced on Nov. 18 on four felony counts of investor fraud and engaging in a conspiracy with Balwani. 

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.