Woman Who Faked Pregnancies With Bachelor Star Clayton Echard Jailed for 30 Days

Laura Owens, 36, was sentenced at Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona on Friday, after pleading guilty on Aug. 28 to offences involving fraudulent schemes and artifices, perjury, and identity theft.

The case gained public attention in 2023 when Owens claimed she was pregnant with twins after an encounter with Clayton Echard, who starred in the 26th season of The Bachelor in 2022. Echard disputed her claim, prompting a legal battle that eventually led to a criminal investigation.

Addressing Judge Jeffrey Rueter before sentencing, Owens expressed regret over her decisions. She said she wished she could return to the moments when she still had the opportunity to make different choices and admitted she had panicked. Echard urged the judge to impose a prison sentence, questioning whether Owens was genuinely remorseful.

Family Court Findings Led to Criminal Charges

Owens claimed Echard had impregnated her with twins following an encounter at his home in suburban Phoenix. She later said she had suffered a miscarriage. In 2024, family court Judge Julie Mata determined that Owens had falsified sonograms and medical records and lied under oath. Mata ordered her to pay Echard’s legal fees and referred the matter to prosecutors.

Owens was charged in May 2025 over the claims involving Echard, 33. Further charges followed in connection with her claim that she had become pregnant by another man she dated in Scottsdale in 2021.

The allegations included using forged medical records and misappropriating other women’s identities to support her claims. Family law attorney Gregg Woodnick represented both men and helped connect the cases during the investigation. Owens’s guilty plea covered four felony counts but did not resolve every allegation initially brought against her.

Echard Challenges Owens’s Expression of Remorse

During the sentencing hearing, Owens acknowledged the pain and financial costs her decisions had caused. She apologised for the distress and expense and accepted that she had failed to meet the standard of honesty the court had a right to expect.

Echard challenged her expression of remorse and asked the judge to incarcerate her. He said she was sorry she had been caught, rather than genuinely remorseful, and warned that she could repeat her behaviour if she remained in the same environment. His remarks highlighted the disagreement over the appropriate punishment. While Owens expressed regret, Echard argued that a prison sentence was necessary to prevent further harm.

Judge Explains Decision to Impose 30-Day Jail Term

Judge Rueter acknowledged the emotional and financial harm caused to the victims but said he did not believe a lengthy prison sentence was appropriate for someone he described as potentially mentally ill, who had committed a non-violent offence and had no previous criminal history. The reference to possible mental illness reflected the judge’s stated reasoning for the sentence, not an independently established medical diagnosis.

Rueter ordered Owens to remain in jail until Nov. 22 and complete seven years of probation. He warned that she could face up to 12.5 years in prison if she violated probation and the court revoked it. Owens must serve her jail term and comply with the court’s probation conditions. Failure to do so could result in further punishment.