Woman Who Falsely Claimed Pregnancy Sentenced in Clayton Echard Case
WHO:
San Francisco Chronicle - Laura Owens is the daughter of former KGO radio host Ronn Owens and former KCBS reporter Jan Black, whose legal name is Elizabeth Naylor.
TMZ - Laura Owens was the woman who falsely claimed she was pregnant with Clayton Echard’s twins.
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens, 36, was identified as a Scottsdale, Arizona, woman who pleaded guilty to four felony counts.
The Hollywood Reporter - Clayton Echard, a former NFL athlete and star of season 26 of ABC’s *The Bachelor*, gave a victim-impact statement.
The Hollywood Reporter - Judge Jeffrey Rueter presided over the sentencing in Maricopa County Superior Court; Owens attended with her attorney, Christian Lueders.
The Hollywood Reporter - Greg Gillespie, another man Owens had made a false pregnancy claim against, had a statement read on his behalf by the prosecution. Mike Marraccini, a third victim, attended; the article said he was not a listed victim in the Arizona prosecution.
The Hollywood Reporter - Stephani Young, host of the *Love Trapped* podcast, was among people tracking the case.
WHAT:
San Francisco Chronicle - The remaining 10 charges against Owens were dismissed as part of her plea deal.
San Francisco Chronicle - Owens had filed a lawsuit seeking child support from Clayton Echard, then dropped her claim and alleged she had miscarried.
San Francisco Chronicle - The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said investigators began looking into Owens after she made “inconsistent statements” during a paternity hearing involving Echard.
San Francisco Chronicle - A grand jury indicted Owens on seven felony counts in May 2025; prosecutors later brought seven additional felony charges over similar claims involving an Arizona man she briefly dated in 2021.
San Francisco Chronicle - Owens said, “I know there are people who have suffered because of decisions that I made. I want to take accountability for that, and they deserve to hear me do that.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens’s sentencing was livestreamed and covered by local news outlets and on social media.
The Hollywood Reporter - Echard said he met Owens after moving to Arizona to work as a real estate broker and described their encounter as a one-night stand involving oral sex.
The Hollywood Reporter - Echard said Owens first contacted him through LinkedIn and that his public profile as a Bachelor helped attract her interest.
TMZ - Owens was sentenced to 30 days in jail and seven years of probation.
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens received one month in jail and seven years of supervised probation; she faced a maximum sentence of 12.5 years in prison.
The Hollywood Reporter - If Owens violates probation, she could be sent to prison for more than 15 years.
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of taking the identity of another, and one count of perjury.
The Hollywood Reporter - Echard urged the court to incarcerate Owens, saying, “I believe incarceration is an absolute must.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens said, “I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I’ve caused them.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Owens said she was “terrified of jail,” but was “not afraid of being held accountable.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Rueter described the choice as whether Owens was a “sophisticated, conniving, calculating shakedown artist” or had engaged in “poorly thought-out attention-seeking behavior” related to mental-health issues.
The Hollywood Reporter - Echard said Owens’s tears were not from empathy and that “She’s just sorry she got caught.”
WHERE:
San Francisco Chronicle - The sentencing took place in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Hollywood Reporter - The sentencing took place in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona.
The Hollywood Reporter - The article said the alleged fraud involving Marraccini occurred in California.
WHEN:
San Francisco Chronicle - Authorities said Owens altered an ultrasound, fabricated a pregnancy video and lied under oath from May 2023 to June 2024.
San Francisco Chronicle - Ronn Owens retired from KGO in 2021 after nearly five decades at the San Francisco radio station.
The Hollywood Reporter - The article said Echard starred on season 26 of *The Bachelor*, which aired in 2022.
WHY:
The Hollywood Reporter - Echard argued incarceration was necessary, saying Owens would not stop until removed from her environment, which he described as her parents’ guest house.
HOW:
The Hollywood Reporter - A letter from the woman whose ultrasound image Owens stole was read at the sentencing.
The Hollywood Reporter - The article said Owens sought to entrap Echard into a relationship by altering an ultrasound image and other medical records and fabricating a pregnancy video.
The Hollywood Reporter - An early ruling said Owens lied multiple times under oath in hearings involving paternity and related protective-order cases.
The Hollywood Reporter - *Love Trapped*, an iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts production, followed the investigation and case; it released an episode timed to the sentencing and planned a final episode covering the aftermath.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 21:59 UTC)
Laura Owens, the Arizona woman who falsely claimed she was pregnant with former “Bachelor” star Clayton Echard’s twins, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and seven years of supervised probation. Owens, 36, pleaded guilty to four felony counts, including perjury and identity theft; the remaining 10 charges were dismissed under her plea deal. Prosecutors said she altered an ultrasound, fabricated a pregnancy video and lied under oath. The case began after she sought child support from Echard, then dropped the claim and said she had miscarried. Echard gave a victim-impact statement, urging incarceration and saying, “She’s just sorry she got caught.” Owens apologized, saying she wanted to take accountability for the harm she caused. Another man who faced a false pregnancy claim had a statement read in court. The judge warned that violating probation could send Owens to prison for more than 15 years.
--
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 18:01 UTC)
Laura Owens was sentenced in Arizona to 30 days in jail and seven years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to four felonies tied to false pregnancy claims. The 36-year-old Scottsdale woman falsely claimed she was pregnant with twins by Clayton Echard, a former NFL athlete and star of season 26 of *The Bachelor*. Prosecutors said she altered an ultrasound image and medical records and fabricated a pregnancy video in an effort to draw Echard into a relationship. At sentencing, Echard urged the judge to incarcerate Owens, saying she was sorry only because she had been caught. Owens apologized for the pain, distress and expense she caused, and said she was terrified of jail but not accountability. Judge Jeffrey Rueter weighed whether her conduct was calculated or attention-seeking behavior linked to mental-health issues. Owens could face more than 15 years in prison if she violates probation.
--
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 14:06 UTC)
Laura Owens has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and seven years of supervised probation for crimes tied to a false pregnancy claim against Clayton Echard. Owens, 36, pleaded guilty to four felonies, including fraud, identity theft and perjury, in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. Prosecutors said she altered an ultrasound image and other medical records and fabricated a pregnancy video to try to entrap Echard into a relationship. Echard, a former NFL athlete and star of “The Bachelor,” urged the judge to send her to prison, saying incarceration was necessary to stop further harm. Owens apologized for the pain, distress and expense she caused, and said she was terrified of jail but not accountability. Judge Jeffrey Rueter said the case raised questions about whether her actions reflected calculated fraud or attention-seeking behavior linked to mental-health issues.