Arizona woman who faked pregnancies to multiple men – including ‘Bachelor’ star Clayton Echard – sentenced to 30 days in jail
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PHOENIX (Courtroom Insider) — The Arizona woman at the center of a series of bizarre fraudulent pregnancy schemes, including one involving a former star of “The Bachelor,” has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and years of probation for her crimes.
Laura Owens, 36, was sentenced on Friday to 30 days in jail and seven years’ probation for two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury, and one count of identity theft. She pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 28 in exchange for prosecutors dropping 10 other charges she was facing, PEOPLE reports.
Prosecutors say Owens would go on a few dates with a man, and when the man attempted to end the relationship, she would tell him she was pregnant with his child in an effort to prolong the relationship.
Greg Gillespie
Investigators said the first man Owens did this to was Greg Gillespie. According to court documents, he and Owens went on approximately three dates, after which Gillespie told Owens he wasn’t interested in continuing a relationship.
During the time Owens and Gillespie were dating, the two had sexual intercourse, documents state. Eleven days afterward, the charges say Owens informed Gillespie that she was pregnant. While maintaining the allegedly fraudulent pregnancy, prosecutors say Owens stalked, harassed and threatened Gillespie at his home and workplace.
As the false pregnancy progressed, charges say Owens began suggesting that she may be pregnant with twins and created fake emails from medical professionals to prove it to Gillespie.
When Gillespie had had enough, he said he told Owens to stop harassing him. The conversation prompted Owens to file a civil lawsuit against Gillespie, alleging abortion coercion, domestic violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Litigation in the case continued until it was dismissed on Aug, 12, 2022.
Then in 2023, Owens accused Gillespie of violating his protection order by posting about her online; however, none of the alleged posts could be traced back to Gillespie.
Clayton Echard — ‘The Bachelor’
During all of this, prosecutors say Owens started dating Clayton Echard, who had just starred in Season 26 of ABC’s reality series “The Bachelor.”
Prosecutors said Owens first met Echard, a real estate agent by profession, under the pretense of a possible real estate deal. The two met at Echard’s home, where charging documents say the two engaged in intimate acts, but Echard told investigators they did not have sexual intercourse.
Believing he had crossed a line in his capacity as a real estate agent, Echard said he tried to pass Owens off to a colleague for her real estate needs. But court documents state this prompted Owens to become “very upset.”
Charges say Owens targeted Echard with similar claims to those she’d made to Gillespie claiming that she was pregnant. She also got HCG injections to convince Echard, the documents say. HCG is a hormone present in a woman’s body during pregnancy.
But Echard didn’t believe her story because he said he did not have sexual intercourse with her. Charges say Owens responded to his expression of disbelief by attempting to pass off her sister’s ultrasound photos as her own, and by harassing Echard just as she had Gillespie.
‘She’s not sorry’
At the sentencing on Friday, Echard took an opportunity to speak in court during.
“This has been really had for me because, truthfully, as a man, as I stand here in front of you. I’ve been fighting for the last three and a half years, but today the power is in your hands. It’s not in mine,” Echard said, addressing Judge Jeffrey Rueter.
Echard said he doesn’t believe Owens is sorry for her actions, but he does believe any suffering she is experiencing is her own fault.
“Laura’s been carrying out these tactics for at least 10 years. She’s not sorry; she’s sorry she got caught,” Echard said.
He later added, “I want you to understand this: Laura, all of the suffering that she has endured has come from her own doing. It was her choice. She has chosen her suffering, but she has not extended that privilege to me and the other victims. I didn’t want any of this.”
Sentencing
When Owens spoke, she asked the judge not to send her to prison because her elderly parents need her assistance. Though, she also told the judge she doesn’t believe her responsibilities should excuse her actions.
“(The) people and animals who depend on me and had no part in these awful decisions that I made would be the ones who would be paying the price if I were to be incarcerated,” Owens said.
“I’m terrified of jail, your honor,” she added. “I’m not going to pretend otherwise — but I’m not terrified of being held accountable.”
When Judge Rueter spoke, he said he felt conflicted because he found it difficult to determine why Owens had done what she had.
“Why would she do something like this? You know, it makes sense if you have a drug addiction and you rob a Circle K to get money to buy drugs; that makes sense,” Rueter said. “If you’re in a gang and you have a dispute with another gang member and there’s violence, that makes sense. This, I don’t know man. Nothing makes sense about this.”
He continued on, saying Owens is “either a sophisticated, conniving, calculating shakedown artist or she’s been engaging in some really poorly thought-out, attention-seeking behavior.”
The judge then said because he believes Owens has taken responsibility for her poor behavior, appeared to be truly remorseful, and is “potentially mentally ill,” he would not give her prison time. Instead, he sentenced Owens to 30 days in jail and seven years’ probation.
Rueter also gave Owens a 12-month jail sentence that he deferred until October 2027, adding that if she complies with her sentencing and rules of probation the 12-month sentence could be further deferred or revoked altogether.