A woman who pleaded guilty to falsely claiming she was pregnant by "The Bachelor" alum Clayton Echard has been sentenced to time behind bars.
An Arizona judge sentenced Laura Owens to 30 days in jail and seven years of probation Friday, Oct. 23. Prosecutors say the 35-year-old engaged in two fraudulent pregnancy schemes, including one against Echard, 33, during which she faked an ultrasound image, a pregnancy video and lied under oath during civil paternity proceedings she brought against the reality star, according to 12News and Fox10 Phoenix.
The schemes took place between May 2023 and June 2024, shortly after Echard appeared as a contestant on "The Bachelorette" Season 18 and later the lead on Season 26. He previously told 12News that he and Owens
shared intimate moments during that time but never had sexual intercourse.
Owens was initially charged with 14 felonies but reached a deal in August, pleading guilty to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another. The latter two charges were not concerning her crimes against Echard.
The case has made headlines in recent years and was even documented on the true-crime podcast “Love Trapped.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Echard's lawyer for comment.
Laura Owens lied about being pregnant by Clayton Echard
In 2023, Owens took Echard to court to establish paternity of what she said were unborn twins she was carrying. She later said she miscarried and dropped the claim, leading the judge to refer the matter for a criminal investigation, per local outlets.
Investigators found that Owens went to "extreme lengths to manipulate men" into thinking she was pregnant through falsified medical records, photos, videos and pregnancy tests.
Echard's attorney, Gregg Woodnick, told FOX 10 ahead of Owens' sentencing that his client is "exhausted by this" case and is ready to move forward."I've been spending time with him on and off for years since this first happened. I remember the first day I met him, when Laura was, you know, faking pregnancy essentially with twins and knowing that she had done that before to at least one other victim," Woodnick said.
"It's been a lot of years of watching Laura do a lot of damage to a lot of men. She faked medical records. She fakes medical conditions. She's faking pregnancy. She faked twin pregnancies multiple times, and it finally caught up to her," he concluded.
Echard also gave a victim impact statement describing the toll the situation has taken on him.
“Laura’s been carrying out these tactics for at least ten years. She’s not sorry. She’s sorry she got caught,” Echard said. “All of the suffering that she has endured has come from her own doing, and it’s her choice. She has chosen her suffering, but she has not extended that privilege to me and the other victims.”
“I didn’t want to give up my power at the mercy of the court,” he added. “I didn’t get to choose my suffering. This image of fragility that she presents is calculated.”
During the Oct. 23 sentencing hearing, prosecutors recommended five years and five months with a total of 10 years of probation, but the judge ultimately gave Owens one month with a deferred 12-month sentence, which is the amount of time she could spend in jail if she violates probation.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Laura Owens sentenced for faking pregnancy with 'Bachelor' Clayton Echard
