Desperate for Children, They Were Swindled Out of $2 Million

Tonya Ann Collins, 37, formerly of Modesto, has pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme she carried out through her agency, Surrogenesis USA Inc. and a related escrow company, according to U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.

“Tanya Collins cruelly took advantage of clients who sought nothing more than to bring children into the world. Her greed left a trail of devastation, both financial and emotional, in its wake,” Mr. Wagner says.

For nearly three years, Ms. Collins, as owner of Surrogenesis and the Michael Charles Independent Financial Holding Group, carried out a scheme to defraud prospective parents, surrogates, and financial institutions, according to court records.

Surrogenesis was a surrogate and egg donation agency that marketed itself as assisting individuals in having children through third-party assisted reproduction. Michael Charles Independent Financial purported to be an independent personal property escrow company that would hold clients’ funds in trust and pay out those funds upon the clients’ authorization for legitimate expenses associated with the surrogacy process, such as surrogacy fees and medical costs.

Ms. Collins has admitted...