Fake Twin Pregnancy Claims End in 30 Days in Jail

She claimed she was carrying a former Bachelor star’s twins. After admitting to crimes involving fabricated pregnancies, Laura Owens has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and seven years of probation.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Rueter imposed the sentence October 23 in Phoenix. Owens had pleaded guilty in August to four felonies arising from cases involving Clayton Echard and another man.

Echard, who appeared on The Bachelorette before leading Season 26 of The Bachelor, addressed the court about the effect on his life. He urged a prison sentence and rejected Owens’ assertion that she was remorseful.

A Real Estate Contact Became a Paternity Claim

Prosecutors described an initial May 2023 contact about a real estate transaction. According to Arizona’s Family, Owens subsequently claimed to be pregnant and filed a paternity case that August.

The criminal allegations concerning Echard covered conduct between May 2023 and June 2024. Investigators said she altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video and repeatedly lied under oath during the civil proceedings.

Echard disputed the pregnancy claim. Owens eventually dropped her paternity action and said she had miscarried; the family court judge referred the matter for criminal investigation, KTAR reported.

An ultrasound image presented as evidence of Owens’ pregnancy belonged to another woman, Stormy Mitchell. Mitchell’s statement to the sentencing court described the personal significance of that photograph and the harm of seeing it used in someone else’s false account.

Arizona’s Family reported that Mitchell had lost one of the twins pictured in the image. The photograph was the only one she had of both together, according to the statement read in court.

Four Guilty Pleas Covered Two Men’s Cases

Owens pleaded guilty August 28 to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one of perjury and one of taking another person’s identity. KTAR reported that the plea agreement called for the other 10 counts from the original 14-count case to be dismissed.

The fraud counts concerned Echard. The perjury and identity charge concerned a separate matter involving Gregory Gillespie, whom Owens briefly dated in 2021, according to KTAR.

Both men were represented in family court by Scottsdale attorney Gregg Woodnick. The connection between their cases helped bring the conduct into view.

At sentencing, Gillespie said through a statement that he had spent years defending his reputation, livelihood and name. Arizona’s Family reported that he was seeking nearly $300,000 in restitution.

Woodnick said Echard was exhausted by the proceedings. Following sentencing, he questioned whether the outcome would leave the people harmed feeling that justice had been done.

The Judge Weighed a Different Punishment

Owens apologized in court for the distress and expense she had caused. She said she wanted her future actions to demonstrate accountability, rather than relying only on what she said at the hearing.

Her parents asked Rueter for leniency. Her mother told the court that Owens lived on their property and helped care for her father, longtime Bay Area radio broadcaster Ronn Owens.

Rueter cited the guilty pleas, apparent remorse, family support and health-related mitigation in explaining his decision against prison. The sentence also requires court-ordered treatment and prohibits contact with the victims, FOX 10 reported.

That reasoning did not satisfy Echard. Speaking after the hearing, he said he believed the judge had been manipulated and that the sentence failed to reflect the damage caused.

Probation Comes With Further Consequences

The 30-day jail term is separate from the seven-year supervision period. Arizona’s Family also reported a deferred 12-month jail term and warned that a probation violation could expose Owens to a much longer prison sentence.

Owens therefore leaves the criminal proceedings with convictions and continuing court restrictions. For Echard and Gillespie, the sentencing hearing followed years spent contesting claims that had first been brought into family court as supposed pregnancies.

References: Laura Owens sentenced for fake pregnancy scheme targeting former ‘Bachelor’ star | Laura Owens gets 1 month in jail in fabricated pregnancy cases involving former ‘Bachelor’ star | Laura Owens sentenced after fake pregnancy case involving Clayton Echard | Laura Owens Indicted on Fraud Charges

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