Dear JFC cult: Let’s Talk About Your ‘Too Honest’ Leader

Dear JFC cult,

Let’s talk about Honest Abe — err, I mean Clayton.

You chant, “He has never lied to us!” and “He’s too honest!”

Meanwhile, because I’ve admitted to lying in the past (NEVER about being pregnant), you invoke “falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus” — if I lied once, I must be lying about everything. You treat me like I’m Pinocchio, while conveniently ignoring that your saint hasn’t exactly been a beacon of truth.

Yet, you don’t hold him to the same standard, because he has never lied, right?

Wrong.

Let’s set the scene. Imagine you’re excited about diving into real estate investing. You’ve spent a year studying Pace Morby’s methods, finally building up the confidence to invest. You reach out to an agency you find on Instagram that specializes in seller financing — not to work with any specific person, but because they understand your goals.

You don’t hear back for a month. You still haven’t found a realtor to do this with, and you’re scrolling around for one. Then, you see that someone named Clayton Echard is tagged with the company you reached out to a few weeks prior. You check out his LinkedIn and decide to send him a message to see if he can help. He writes back and says he can.

We had a long call, and Clayton seemed like the perfect fit for an agent. He grasped my investment goals and knew the kind of properties that would turn into profitable short-term rentals. I trusted him to guide me through my first couple of purchases. I was excited, optimistic, and ready to conquer the world.

Now, imagine trusting him with $1.1 million in offers for two investment properties. Proof of funds? Check. Signed contracts? Check. The thrill and anticipation are real.

May 24, 2023: Clayton writes up the offers on two properties and has me sign them. They are set to expire the next day. He assures me everything’s good to go.

May 25, 2023, 8:00 PM: According to what Clayton made me sign, the offers have officially expired. Meanwhile, he hasn’t responded to my messages asking if they were accepted.

May 25, 2023, 9:49 PM: Growing anxious, I email John, the agent for one of the sellers, to check my offer’s status. He says he never got an offer from Clayton. Cue heart sinking. Cue panic attack.

May 26, 2023, 6:54 AM: I texted Clayton, asking him to explain why the John hadn’t received offer. I said, “Can you please explain what he’s talking about? You never sent in the offer? You said you did…” No response.

May 26, 2023, 9:18 AM: Frustrated and desperate for answers, I texted Clayton again, “Clayton, if you can’t answer me on [Address Redacted], please connect me with your broker to ask him what happened and what the status is.” Crickets. (P.S., remember when he said I refused to work with his broker? Who’s Pinocchio now?)

May 26, 2023, 1:48 PM: I forwarded the email from John, the seller’s agent, to Clayton, writing, “Clayton, connecting you with John who just sent me this. Can you please confirm that you saw this? We need to get moving on this as I would like to proceed with the purchase.” Silence.

Imagine this was your money, your new venture. No updates. No communication. No idea if you’ve just bought properties worth over a million dollars.

You’d all be fine with that, right?

(Cue the JFC crew furiously racking their brains trying to come up with reasons why I was wrong and Clayton was right…)

If you were in my shoes and being honest, you’d be furious. You’d demand answers and accountability. You’d be 100% entitled to feel that way and to escalate the situation.

After reviewing my complaint against Clayton, the Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) concluded that his failure to submit the offers was a violation of ARTICLE 11. PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT R4–28–1101. It’s documented. It’s real.

Then Clayton has the audacity to claim on a major podcast that I ‘wasn’t serious about buying property’? Come on, Clayton. You know better than that!

Not long after I made the offers with him, I bought an investment home using… drumroll please… the very same seller financing methods I told him I wanted to use! Wow! Guess I was serious all along.

To wrap up the real estate saga, let’s address the letter I sent to Clayton during our paternity case. Here’s an excerpt:

“In lieu of immediate litigation, I propose an alternative resolution contingent upon your stipulation to dismiss FC2023–052114 Owens v. Echard forthwith and to mutually agree to forebear from any future legal actions against each other for any claims. This proposition is tendered in a spirit of amicable dispute resolution and to mitigate further legal entanglements.”

This was a reasonable settlement offer, not extortion. Extortion is the practice of obtaining something through force or threats. I was offering a settlement to avoid further legal conflict — standard practice in legal disputes. Based on the findings of the Arizona Department of Real Estate, I was well within my rights to propose such an agreement. I was essentially saying, “Let’s end this amicably. Agree to drop the current case, and I won’t sue you for your real estate misconduct so that we can both move on with our lives.”

(Cue the JFC crew pounding on their keys as fast as they can to scream why I was in the wrong…)

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to his version of events yourself at https://youtu.be/R_TTMiIk59I.

Clayton was questioned by my former attorney in the deposition, “Isn’t it also true that when my client asked you if there had been a response in relation to those two offers, that you doubled down on your lie, and told her you hadn’t yet heard back?”

“Yes.”

“So you again lied to my client [Laura]?”

“Well, I hadn’t heard back. That’s truthful”

“Because you never sent the offers?”

“Correct.”

But let’s be real, this won’t change your minds. Because Clayton can do no wrong in your eyes, just like I can do no right. Because, as my attorney and friend David Gingras says, “…because you’re a cult.”

P.S.

I know you’ll say I’m “out of control” because I dared to speak out this week. And multiple times! The nerve!

First insult will be…wait for it…

“Must be a crazy weekend in the casita!”

It’s been very nice so far, thanks for asking. I got up early, worked out with my sister, rode two horses, and now, I’m standing up for myself.

The truth is, this is the first time I’ve felt empowered in months. You’ve all had voices, and it’s time you heard mine.

P.P.S.

Total letdown for the JFC crew who think Judge Mata’s decisions are the final nail in my coffin. Spoiler alert: they’re not.

The truth? David and I couldn’t be more confident that Judge Mata’s ruling will not stand.

Until then, go back to watching small-time lawyers moonlighting as lawtubers, trying to monetize their channels with a built-in audience of JFC’ers. They’re playing you like a fiddle, telling you exactly what you want to hear: that I have no case for appeal. Why? Because it makes them money.

If I offered to pay them double what they’re making now to present my side, I bet you they’d take it.