Owner Of The Surrogacy Group Pleads Guilty In Federal Court In Maryland For Defrauding Clients Of Fees Paid To Find And Support A Pregnancy Surrogate

Baltimore, Maryland – Gregory Ray Blosser, age 38, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty today to a federal wire fraud charge in connection with a scheme to defraud clients of The Surrogacy Group (TSG), which he owned and operated from offices in Annapolis, Maryland and Tampa, Florida.  Blosser was arrested on April 29th in Florida and has been under home confinement since his arrest.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“The facts of this case are especially egregious because Gregory Blosser took advantage of individuals who were trying to become parents,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Criminals like Blosser, who line their pockets through such heartless deceit, will be held accountable.”

“Dreams, hopes and bank accounts were wiped clean by Mr. Blosser who preyed on couples who were already in a vulnerable place,” said Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Division. “This guilty plea is a reminder that the FBI will use our resources appropriately to root out fraudulent surrogacy schemes that violate the trust of the American public."

According to Blosser’s plea agreement, TSG was incorporated in Maryland on January 5, 2012 and offered and sold surrogacy-related services throughout the United States and internationally to individuals who desired to have children using a pregnancy surrogate.  From at least 2015 until his arrest in 2019, Blosser solicited and accepted funds from TSG clients who desired to have children using a surrogate, representing that these funds would be held in escrow.  Blosser told the clients that he would act as their agent disbursing the funds to the surrogate pursuant to contracts between the TSG client and TSG, and the TSG client and the surrogate.

Instead, Blosser admitted that beginning in 2017, he converted a significant portion of the funds he promised to hold in escrow to his own use without the authorization of the TSG client and failed to pay the surrogate as he had agreed to do. Blosser did not, as promised, create separate escrow accounts for these funds and as a result, those funds intermingled with TSG’s operating accounts and were used to pay business expenses, service business loans, and for other purposes not permitted under the escrow agreements.  TSG clients were forced to pay the surrogate’s expenses themselves, effectively paying twice for the services Blosser had promised to deliver.

As detailed in his plea agreement, at Blosser’s direction, at least seven victims paid fees to establish an escrow account to be controlled by Blosser, with the funds to be used to find a suitable surrogate, and to support the surrogate during a pregnancy.  The victims lived in Maryland, Australia, North Carolina, Germany, and Virginia.  In each case, after the victims deposited funds into the escrow account, Blosser either did not locate a suitable surrogate, or did not pay the surrogate the agreed-upon fees.

In total, Blosser fraudulently obtained approximately $1,104,706 from approximately 44 victims.

Blosser is also facing related civil suits filed by the States of Maryland and Florida.

Blosser faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for January 15, 2021, at 2:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #