Elizabeth Holmes, a disgraced former Silicon Valley tech CEO, has been sentenced to 11.25 years for fraud.

Her company, Theranos was once valued at US$9 billion.

She falsely claimed the firm's technology could diagnose disease with just a few drops of blood.

She was found guilty in January of duping investors and lying about the technology after a three-month trial.

Holmes is expected to appeal the sentence, which was handed down today in a California court.