亚利桑那州假孕诈骗案判刑：Laura Owens 入狱30天、监督缓刑7年
位于美国亚利桑那州马里科帕县（Maricopa County）Phoenix 的马里科帕县高等法院10月23日上午对 Laura Owens 判刑：入狱30天，并接受7年监督缓刑。Owens 现年35岁、住在 Scottsdale，她此前对针对真人秀节目《单身汉》（The Bachelor）前主角 Clayton Echard 与另一名亚利桑那州男子 Gregory Gillespie 的假孕指控认罪。
Owens 于8月28日对四项重罪认罪，包括两项诈骗计划罪、一项伪证罪与一项冒用他人身份罪。她最初面临14项重罪指控，检方依认罪协议撤销其余10项，其中包括伪造、敲诈勒索未遂与篡改证据等指控。她认罪的量刑幅度为3年至12年，推定刑期为5年。据庭审直播报道，法官在庭上说明，若 Owens 违反缓刑条件，最高可被判处12年监禁。
案件源于2023年 Owens 对 Echard 提起的亲子关系诉讼，她称自己在 Echard 位于 Scottsdale 的住所与其短暂接触后怀上双胞胎，Echard 对此予以否认。2024年，高等法院法官 Julie Mata 在民事案件中认定 Owens 伪造超声影像、篡改医疗记录并在宣誓后作虚假陈述，判令其支付 Echard 的律师费，并将案件移交检方。马里科帕县检察官办公室2025年5月对其提起刑事指控，其后又加入她2021年与 Gillespie 交往期间作出的类似怀孕指控；检方称，她曾使用伪造的医疗记录与他人的超声影像来支撑其说法。
在10月23日的量刑听证会上，Owens 向法庭致歉说：「我对四项重罪认了罪，我对给他们造成的痛苦、困扰与开支深感抱歉。」Echard 也在庭上发言，认为监禁是必要的，称 Owens 若不被移出其所处环境就不会停手。据《亚利桑那共和报》（The Arizona Republic）与福克斯10台 Phoenix 等媒体报道，本案持续三年多，其情节曾被多档真实犯罪播客追踪讨论。
Arizona Woman Laura Owens Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail and Seven Years of Probation in Fake-Pregnancy Scheme
A judge in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday morning, October 23, sentenced Laura Owens to 30 days in jail followed by seven years of supervised probation. Owens, 35, of Scottsdale, had pleaded guilty in a case built on false pregnancy claims against former "Bachelor" lead Clayton Echard and another Arizona man, Gregory Gillespie.
Owens pleaded guilty on August 28 to four felony counts: two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another. She was originally charged with 14 felonies; prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining 10 counts, which included allegations of forgery, theft by extortion and tampering with evidence. She had faced a sentencing range of three to 12 years, with a presumptive term of five years. According to coverage of the livestreamed hearing, the judge said Owens could face up to 12 years in prison if she violates probation.
The case grew out of a 2023 paternity lawsuit in which Owens claimed Echard had fathered twins after a brief encounter at his Scottsdale home, a claim Echard disputed. In 2024, Superior Court Judge Julie Mata found in the civil case that Owens had falsified sonograms, altered medical records and lied under oath, ordered her to pay Echard's legal fees and referred the matter to prosecutors. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office charged Owens in May 2025 and later expanded the case to include similar pregnancy claims she made against Gillespie, whom she dated in 2021; prosecutors said she used forged medical records and an ultrasound image belonging to another woman to support her claims.
At the October 23 sentencing hearing, Owens apologized to the court, saying, "I pleaded guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I've caused them." Echard also addressed the court, arguing that jail time was necessary and saying Owens would not stop unless she was removed from her environment. According to The Arizona Republic and Fox 10 Phoenix, the case has drawn attention for more than three years and has been dissected in multiple true-crime podcasts.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：位于 Phoenix 的马里科帕县高等法院大楼外墙（资料图），CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源
