A longtime Bay Area radio personality is facing explosive allegations over what happened to more than $137,000 raised to help him through serious health problems — and the controversy is now colliding with his daughter’s already headline-grabbing criminal case involving former Bachelor star Clayton Echard.
Radio Hall of Famer Ronn Owens, 80, received the GoFundMe donations in 2024 after retiring while battling Parkinson’s disease, cancer and heart problems.
The fundraiser was presented as a way to help the veteran broadcaster navigate mounting health and financial challenges.
But newly revealed financial records are now raising questions about where some of that money actually went.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline, Owens and his wife later filed for bankruptcy, opening their finances to scrutiny.
The records reportedly show the couple spent $61,654.75 on mortgage payments and another $44,375 in capital contributions to their LLCs over an 18-month period.
By comparison, healthcare and pharmacy expenses across eight reviewed bank accounts totaled $17,209 during that same period, according to the report.
Other spending allegedly included credit card payments, retail and online purchases and transfers to adult family members.
But one payment in particular is drawing attention.
Court records allegedly show nearly $20,000 went to Owens’ daughter, Laura Owens — the Arizona woman now facing felony charges tied to her highly publicized pregnancy claims involving Echard.
The United States Trustee for the District of Arizona reportedly said Owens and his wife had twice stated under oath that they made no gifts exceeding $600 per person during the two years before their bankruptcy petition.
However, financial records allegedly disclosed “$19,608 in gifts to daughter Laura Owens.”
The trustee also noted that recovering money from Laura could be complicated because she had recently filed her own Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, which was later dismissed.
The allegations add yet another bizarre twist to a family already caught up in a sensational legal battle.
Laura Owens was indicted in Maricopa County last year on 14 felony counts involving alleged fraud, perjury and evidence tampering.
Authorities have accused her of making a false pregnancy claim involving Echard, who starred on Season 26 of The Bachelor.
According to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Echard and Owens began dating in 2021, but he ended the relationship after their third date.
Owens allegedly later told Echard she was pregnant with his child.
Investigators claim she then falsified documents in an attempt to support the pregnancy allegation.
“In 2021, the victim began dating Laura Owens, but after the third date, he decided not to continue the relationship,” Mitchell previously said.
“Owens then claimed to be pregnant by him. MCAO investigators found evidence that Owens falsified documents to bolster this claim.”
Owens has disputed allegations surrounding her case, which remains pending.
Her trial assignment date is currently scheduled for Oct. 28, 2026, while a settlement conference is set for Aug. 28.
Meanwhile, Echard has taken his side of the extraordinary saga to the podcast world.
iHeartRadio released Love Trapped, a series focused on Echard’s allegations and the legal battle that followed.
Promotional material for the podcast describes Echard as a man who initially appeared to be the villain before becoming trapped in what it calls a fabricated pregnancy scandal involving allegedly forged documents, thousands of text messages and extensive court filings.
The situation also comes with an unusual radio-industry connection.
iHeartRadio is a major competitor of Cumulus Media, which owns the station where Ronn Owens worked.
Owens spent decades as one of the Bay Area’s most recognizable radio voices before retiring following years of health struggles.
He has publicly discussed living with Parkinson’s disease for more than two decades as well as battling cancer and serious heart problems.
Now, however, the veteran broadcaster’s finances are under a new spotlight — just as his daughter prepares for another major chapter in her own closely watched legal fight.
RadarOnline said it contacted Cumulus Media and Echard for comment.
