Laura Owens was sentenced on Friday, October 23, to 30 days in county jail and seven years’ probation for falsely claiming to be pregnant by Clayton Echard, the former star of The Bachelor. If she violates probation, the judge warned, she faces up to 12.5 years in prison. Local station Fox 10 put the figure at 12.
The jail term comes as 30 days of flat time, plus 12 months of deferred jail starting October 22, 2027. The judge said he had weighed whether Owens was “a sophisticated con person or a very sad individual making some poor choices.” His conclusion: “I think it’s the latter.”
The plea
Owens pleaded guilty in August to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one of taking the identity of another and one of perjury. Other charges were dropped. She was first indicted in May 2025 in Maricopa County on seven felonies: fraudulent schemes and artifices (Class Two), forgery (Class Four), four counts of perjury (Class Four) and tampering with physical evidence (Class Six), according to the county attorney’s office. In November she was indicted on seven more counts tied to a false pregnancy claim involving a second victim.
Strategically, the calculus of the plea was plain. Echard said in May that a deal with no jail time “just isn’t right,” warning that if she walked free she would do it again. Jail time is what he got, if far less than the felony list suggested.
What prosecutors laid out
Prosecutors said Owens contacted Echard, a former Bachelor and Scottsdale realtor, on May 17, 2023, about a real estate deal. They said the two had oral sex but no intercourse on May 20. On June 1, after getting HCG injections from a spa, Owens claimed she was pregnant, and she filed for paternity in August 2023. “The method that she chose was HCG,” a prosecutor said, describing how they say she produced false positive tests.
She also took a twin ultrasound from Stormy Mitchell, who lost one twin to vanishing twin syndrome, prosecutors said, and passed it off as her own. “It is the only photo I will ever have of my twins together,” Mitchell said in a statement read in court. Prosecutors added that Owens edited photographs to hide parts of her body and look pregnant.
The victims and the family
“I’ve been fighting for the last three and a half years,” Echard told the judge. He said jail was necessary for Owens to grasp what she had done, and that he believed she remained a threat to others. “Laura will not stop until she is removed from her environment.” Her tears in court, he said, were “just sorry she got caught,” not empathy.
Another victim, Greg Gillespie, said in a statement that Owens made him spend years defending his reputation, livelihood and name. He is seeking nearly $300,000 in restitution.
Owens’ mother, Jan Owens, asked for probation only. She said Laura lives in a casita on the family property and cares for her father, who is 81 and has several medical conditions. Jan Owens described years of emotional and physical abuse and cyber harassment of her daughter. “She has been pregnant. She has had verified medical proof of pregnancy,” she said. Her husband, Ronn Owens, a longtime Bay Area radio broadcaster, told the court he loved his daughter “more than I can put into words” and begged not to have her taken away for whatever time he has left.
Owens herself said, “I pleaded guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I’ve caused them.” She described death threats, her family’s address posted online and messages telling her to take her own life. “I want the rest of my life, and not just my words today, to show how completely, terribly sorry I am for everybody I’ve harmed.”
Echard’s story, including the thousands of messages and emails from Owens, was told earlier this year on the podcast “Love Trapped.”
Sources
- Clayton Echard
- Laura Owens sentenced after fake pregnancy case involving Clayton Echard
- aura Owens sentenced for pregnancy fraud scam targeting 'Bachelor' Clayton Echard
Photo: Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States (CC0)
