The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila was shorter than the 15-year penalty requested by federal prosecutors but far tougher than the leniency her legal team sought for the mother of a year-old son with another child on the way.

Holmes, 38, faced a maximum of 20 years in prison. Her legal team requested no more than 18 months, preferably served in home confinement.

"This is a very heavy sentence," said Rachel Fiset, a defense lawyer who has also been involved in health care cases.

Holmes, who was CEO throughout the company's turbulent 15-year history, was convicted in January in the scheme, which revolved around the company's claims to have developed a medical device that could detect a multitude of diseases and conditions from a few drops of blood. But the technology never worked, and the claims were false.