The Journal. Fertility Inc.: ‘Our Money Was Gone’
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Mar 13, 2026 
Ben Foldy, a Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, unpacks the money trail behind fertility escrow accounts and alleged fraud at SEAM. AnnaMaria Gallozzi, a mother and cancer survivor, shares how surrogacy turned into a financial nightmare. They explore missing escrow funds, unpaid surrogates, second mortgages, weak oversight, and a legal fight shaking hopeful families.
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Cancer Forced AnnaMaria Gallozzi Into Surrogacy
- AnnaMaria Gallozzi’s plans for a big family changed after a stage-four breast cancer diagnosis made pregnancy dangerous because her cancer is hormone-receptive.
- She says lifelong chemo and losing the ability to carry a child felt like grieving both motherhood and her body.
A Priest Helped Her Say Yes To IVF
- After wrestling with Catholic teaching, AnnaMaria Gallozzi pursued IVF and surrogacy, helped by a priest who told her to choose what brings more love into the world.
- One IVF cycle made five embryos, and a roughly $90,000 surrogacy funded by her father’s inheritance led to Michael’s birth.
The Call That Told Her Their Money Was Gone
- While preparing another embryo transfer, AnnaMaria Gallozzi learned her surrogate had stopped getting paid and realized the escrow money was gone.
- The missing funds included about $50,000 they had raised with a second mortgage after already enduring another miscarriage.