Laura Owens was sentenced on Friday, October 23, in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix to 30 days in jail and seven years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to four felony counts in a case built on fabricated pregnancy claims, FOX 10 Phoenix reported from the court proceedings and the Arizona Republic reported from the court record.

Source: FOX 10 Phoenix

Owens pleaded guilty on August 28 to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another, according to the Arizona Republic's reporting cited by Bazaar Daily News. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining 10 counts; she had faced three to 12 years in prison.

Source: Arizona Republic via Bazaar Daily News

Prosecutors alleged Owens falsified sonogram images, altered medical records and lied under oath in paternity proceedings after claiming former 'Bachelor' star Clayton Echard, a Scottsdale realtor, and another Arizona man, Gregory Gillespie, had impregnated her in separate incidents. A family-court judge found in 2024 that Owens had falsified records and referred the matter to prosecutors, the Arizona Republic reported.

"I pleaded guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I've caused them," Owens told the court, according to FOX 10. Echard also addressed the court; his attorney told FOX 10 Echard is ready to put the years-long ordeal behind him.

Reporting on the sentencing said that if Owens violates probation she could face up to about 12 years in prison. The case, which began with a 2023 paternity claim, had drawn wide attention through court proceedings and true-crime coverage; the sentence brings the criminal case to a close, subject to her probation terms.