Woman Who Faked a Pregnancy Claim Against 'Bachelor' Star Clayton Echard Gets 30 Days in Jail and Seven Years' Probation

An Arizona judge on Friday sentenced Laura Owens, who admitted to faking pregnancies and fabricating medical records, including in a paternity case against former "Bachelor" lead Clayton Echard, to 30 days in jail and seven years of probation, The Guardian, USA Today and Phoenix outlets reported.

Owens pleaded guilty Aug. 28 in Maricopa County Superior Court to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another, KTAR reported. She was initially charged with 14 felonies; the plea deal dismissed the other 10. The two fraud counts involve Echard. The perjury and identity theft counts involve a separate case concerning Gregory Gillespie, a man she briefly dated in 2021, according to KTAR.

Judge Jeffrey Rueter ordered Owens jailed immediately until Nov. 22, followed by probation, The Guardian reported. Prosecutors had recommended five years and five months in prison followed by 10 years of probation, according to USA Today. Conditions of probation include no contact with the victims and court-ordered mental health treatment, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. If she violates probation, she could face up to 12.5 years in prison, The Guardian reported the judge said.

"I don't think putting a, you know, potentially mentally ill person who has committed a nonviolent offense with no prior criminal history in a prison is the appropriate thing to do," Rueter said, according to FOX 10. He said he had considered her guilty plea, her apparent remorse and her physical and behavioral health issues.

The case dates to 2023. Prosecutors said Owens contacted Echard on May 17, 2023, about a real estate deal, and that the two had a sexual encounter but no intercourse on May 20, AZFamily reported. She claimed on June 1 that she was pregnant, and prosecutors said she used HCG injections obtained from a spa to produce positive pregnancy tests. She filed for paternity in August 2023, claiming twins. Prosecutors say she altered an ultrasound image, faked a pregnancy video and lied under oath, KTAR reported. After she dropped the claim and said she had miscarried, the family court judge referred the matter for criminal investigation.

One of the images, prosecutors said, was a twin ultrasound taken from another woman, Stormy Mitchell, who lost one of her twins. "It is the only photo I will ever have of my twins together," Mitchell said in a statement read in court, according to AZFamily. Gillespie said Owens caused him years of defending his reputation and is seeking nearly $300,000 in restitution, AZFamily reported.

Echard, who appeared on "The Bachelorette" Season 18 before leading Season 26 of "The Bachelor," asked the judge for prison. "Laura's been carrying out these tactics for at least ten years. She's not sorry. She's sorry she got caught," he said, according to KTAR and USA Today. Both men were represented by the same Scottsdale family lawyer, Gregg Woodnick, which helped connect the cases.

Owens apologized in court. "I know there are people who have suffered because of decisions that I've made, and I want to take accountability for that," she said, according to The Guardian. Her mother, Jan Owens, told the court that her daughter is a caregiver for her father, retired Bay Area radio host Ronn Owens, and said the family has received death threats, AZFamily reported.

Reported ages for Owens differ; The Guardian said 36 and USA Today said 35. Still to be decided: the amount of restitution.