From hope to heartbreak: Families allege surrogacy escrow company stole millions

Jenna and Roy Copeland had large plans for the archetypal Saturday of summer.

The Georgia mates had organized a sex uncover enactment for their archetypal child, a babe miss being carried by a surrogate successful a neighboring state.

After aggregate miscarriages and unsuccessful attempts astatine in-vitro fertilization, the Copelands opted for surrogacy and placed tens of thousands of dollars with Surrogacy Escrow Account Management ("SEAM"), a Texas-based company, to facilitate outgo of their surrogate's prenatal aesculapian expenses.

But 8 days earlier they were acceptable to observe the sex uncover with household and friends, they learned that the institution holding their funds was shutting down. Almost $40,000 of their wealth was seemingly gone.

"Little did we cognize that the pursuing week was going to beryllium filled with reaching retired to instrumentality enforcement, to attorneys -- alternatively of being excited and getting prepared for our sex uncover party," Jenna told ABC News.

"To person this benignant of unreality implicit america was bad, unspeakable timing," Roy said.

The Copelands soon learned that they were acold from alone.

'Just successful shock'

Hundreds of SEAM's clients from crossed the U.S. and Europe person discovered the wealth they'd deposited into escrow accounts has seemingly vanished, according to a suit filed against the institution and its sole owner, Dominique Side.

In a associated investigation, ABC News and its owned tv stations interviewed impacted families and surrogates from fractional a twelve cities seashore to coast.

Sarah and Corey Soileau of Baltimore were getting prepared for an embryo transportation with a surrogate erstwhile they learned that astir $55,000 they deposited with SEAM was seemingly missing.

"We were conscionable successful shock, disbelief," Sarah said. "It's benignant of similar a numb feeling."

North Carolina mates Chris and Chen Perkins Yan learned successful an email from SEAM's proprietor that the $70,000 they paid to screen their surrogate's aesculapian expenses was apt lost.

"We sent the wealth and she walked distant with it," Chris said.

The damages incurred truthful acold by families are allegedly successful excess of $10 million, according to tribunal records. The FBI successful Houston has opened an probe and has issued a nationalist entreaty for different imaginable victims to interaction the agency.

"What has truly affected maine successful this lawsuit is that each clip a caller intended genitor calls successful and talks to maine astir their case, it's not conscionable astir the money," said Marianne Robak, a Houston lawyer who represents astir 30 families successful a ineligible enactment against SEAM. "It's astir their family's future. It's astir their hope. It's astir their quality to person children."

'We'll Handle The Money'

Side, 44, has described herself arsenic a "serial entrepreneur" who established "several multimillion-dollar businesses successful the Houston area," according to an interrogation Side gave to Voyage Houston Magazine successful 2022.

On the website of SEAM, the company's credo -- "We'll Handle The Money. You Handle What Matters" -- is prominently displayed. Side's bio, which is nary longer accessible connected the site, describes her arsenic a erstwhile surrogate who saw SEAM "as a accidental to assistance hundreds of radical make the families they wanted -- mode much than she could done surrogacy alone."

In summation to her relation arsenic CEO and proprietor of SEAM, Side is simply a philharmonic performer and has launched much than twelve different concern ventures, according to corp records successful Texas and California. Her companies past and contiguous person included a backstage alternate school, a vegan market store, a vegan manner line, a spot institution and a euphony accumulation studio.

Now she stands accused of funneling millions of dollars from her clients' escrow funds into those different businesses, and allegedly utilizing the funds to acquisition decorator covering and luxury vehicles, according to tribunal records.

Side besides allegedly utilized lawsuit funds to acquisition aggregate properties successful Houston and a customized location successful New Orleans.

Kevin Ozebek, an investigative newsman with ABC's Houston presumption KTRK, visited the New Orleans home earlier this period successful hunt of Side. A pistillate who identified herself arsenic Side's parent said her girl was "having a hard clip with everything."

"She's trying to woody with this each herself, and that's all," said Caron Parks-Hinton. She declined to sermon her daughter's whereabouts oregon the allegations she is facing.

'My sincerest apologies'

Side has not appeared astatine tribunal hearings successful the ineligible actions against her, and it is not known if she has retained an attorney. She did not respond to aggregate attempts by ABC News to interaction her regarding the allegations.

Phone calls and emails to SEAM are met with the aforesaid automated effect arsenic emails and calls made to Side.

"My sincerest apologies for the non-responsiveness," the connection says. "My institution and I person been notified that we are taxable to an progressive probe by national authorities. Under proposal of counsel, I americium not permitted to respond to immoderate inquiries regarding the investigation."

Jenna and Roy Copeland accidental they've been forced to pat into their status accounts to proceed paying their surrogate's expenses.

"To person to propulsion these funds retired is simply a large hindrance," Roy said.

They accidental they are trying to absorption connected preparing for the accomplishment of their daughter, but the daze of perchance losing their escrow funds volition instrumentality immoderate clip to subside.

"This woman needs to beryllium brought to justness and we request to get our wealth backmost truthful that we tin proceed this travel and marque definite that our babe has everything she needs," Roy said. "Now and successful the future."

ABC Owned Television Stations KGO successful San Francisco, KTRK successful Houston, WABC successful New York and WTVD successful Raleigh contributed to this report.