Yeah, that's what doesn't sit well with this. For a man who barely has the nerve to beat up a cushion, Ethan Ralph, successfully intimidating somebody who lives in a cartel war zone? Kind of don't buy it. He's also completely reactionary, which means actually having the insight to fork out precious cash to get a woman to say something about him feels out of character. It just requires too much forward planning for somebody who will look you in the eye as she shits the bed and tell you you're delusional.
I think, in this rare instance, Pantsuela did make up or at least exaggerated the claim. Maybe she misinterpreted one of his advances, maybe she found out about his history and tried to extort him, maybe she did it just to make him get the fuck away from her, who knows.