U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, imposed the sentence on Balwani, who was convicted by a jury on two counts of conspiracy and 10 counts of fraud in July.
Meanwhile, the company secretly relied on traditional methods to run tests and provided patients with inaccurate results, prosecutors said.
Holmes, who started the company as a college student and became its public face, was indicted alongside Balwani, her former romantic partner, in 2018.
Holmes was convicted in January on four counts of fraud and conspiracy but acquitted of defrauding patients.
The case is U.S. v. Balwani, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.