Laura Owens Sentenced to One Month in Jail for False Pregnancy Claim
Laura Owens was sentenced to one month in jail and seven years of supervised probation on Oct. 23, in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. The 36-year-old from Scottsdale had falsely claimed she was pregnant with former Bachelor star Clayton Echard's twins.
Judge Jeffrey Rueter handed down the sentence. Owens was represented by her attorney, Christian Lueders. Under the terms of her probation, which is supervision in the community rather than time behind bars, she must follow court conditions for the next seven years.
Owens pleaded guilty in August to four felony counts. Two counts were for fraudulent schemes and artifices, which is a legal term for deceiving someone through a planned scheme. The other two were for taking the identity of another person and for perjury, meaning lying under oath. At sentencing she faced a maximum of 12.5 years in prison. Mercury News reported before the hearing that three of the four charges carried recommendations for probation.
Court documents and statements described how the case unfolded. Prosecutors said Owens altered an ultrasound image and other medical records, and produced a fabricated pregnancy video, in an attempt to pull Echard into a relationship. Hollywood Reporter reported that Echard gave a victim-impact statement at the hearing, a formal account of how a crime has affected someone, and urged that Owens be sent to jail.
Another man, Greg Gillespie, was also subjected to a false pregnancy claim by Owens. The prosecution read a statement on his behalf in court.
The case began as a paternity dispute. It later became a criminal matter, according to 12News.
Echard has spoken publicly about the ordeal before. He hosts a podcast called Love Trapped: Owens v Echard, which has included recordings from the depositions, the sworn out-of-court testimony given during the legal process.
The sentence also carries a warning. If Owens breaks the terms of her probation, she could be sent to prison for more than 15 years.
