A Bay Space energy couple has been dragged into contemporary drama after their daughter allegedly tricked a actuality tv star into considering she was pregnant.
Legendary KGO AM radio host Ronn Owens and his spouse, former journalist Elizabeth Ann Naylor, allegedly misled GoFundMe donors who believed they have been sending cash to cowl his well being points.
As an alternative of spending the $135,000 on Owens’ medical payments for 4 bouts of most cancers and “some severe coronary heart points,” the household is accused of paying off private bills.
Amongst these have been their mortgage and their daughter Laura’s authorized bills for allegedly mendacity to “The Bachelor” star Clayton Echard about being pregnant to pressure him right into a relationship along with her.
Laura was indicted in Might 2025 on seven felony counts of perjury, fraud, forgery, and proof tampering associated to a being pregnant lawsuit she filed in opposition to him.
She’s presently set to go to trial later this yr after requesting a continuance from the scheduled trial date of July 29.
Federal officers from the U.S. Trustee’s Workplace have reviewed 18 months of the Bay Space couple’s financial institution data and found the couple spent simply $17,209 on well being care and pharmacy prices in that interval whereas pouring cash into their mortgage and restricted legal responsibility firms they managed.
They spent greater than six figures on their house and managed companies.
The federal submitting additionally famous the couple splurged on meals supply, bank card funds, eating places, their daughter’s authorized bills, subscriptions, journey bills and retail purchases. Laura can be totally financially depending on them and lives along with her dad and mom.
The Justice Division didn’t conclude that the couple broke the regulation, however the spending offered “a severe query whether or not donors obtained what they have been promised.”
The couple by no means promised to pay solely medical payments within the GoFundMe, however a lot of its content material targeted on his well being challenges.
Crimson flags first went up for the couple’s spending after they filed for Chapter 13 chapter a number of months after elevating the GoFundMe cash.
The chapter revealed $2.3 million in liabilities and owed over $511,000 in money owed to greater than 40 banks, bank card firms, and different collectors.
However practically half one million of the debt got here after the couple raised the cash from the GoFundMe.
The couple’s chapter request was denied this yr, and so they once more filed for Chapter 11 chapter in Might, this time attempting to get chapter safety for his or her Scottsdale house.
As a part of the federal investigation into them, they’ve since dropped their Chapter 11 case with a two-year prohibition on submitting one other chapter petition after disputing assertions within the federal submitting.
Naylor says the GoFundMe was meant to assist the household’s monetary difficulties quite than medical payments alone. However federal officers counsel that’s an unreasonable assumption.
“I don’t suppose it’s cheap to imagine that donors would know or anticipate that GoFundMe cash is getting used to pay Macy’s bank card payments,” legal professional with the U.S. Trustee’s Workplace Jennifer A. Giaimo mentioned.
A trustee requested the court docket for the two-year prohibition on the couple submitting for chapter as a result of they filed the case in dangerous religion, they mentioned.
Many inconsistencies have been discovered throughout the couple’s chapter filings, the submitting mentioned. The couple mentioned that needed to do with Owens’ well being points and issues with prior counsel.
“Throughout three units of schedules … the Debtors have sworn to statements that can’t all be true,” the trustee wrote.
Collectors and lenders can be allowed to go forward with foreclosures, lawsuits, and different collections if the couple can not file for chapter.
A Chapter 7 liquidation was thought of, however the trustee discovered no significant pool of belongings {that a} trustee may promote to repay unsecured collectors.
A listening to on the trustee’s request is scheduled for Thursday this week.
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