♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, from hope to heartbreak. >> i was shaking whenever i got the picture of the positive

pregnancy test. >> couples across the country investing tens of thousands in surrogacy. those funds now gone. >> we were just in shock. disbelief. >> claiming the company's owner stole them to finance her lavish lifestyle. musical ambitions. >> it's sick. >> where is the money? and the woman at the center of it all? >> where is dominique? plus, daniel sievy. ♪ he blew the "american idol" judges away at 15 and jumped into the boy band spotlight. and now he's stepping out solo. ♪ what getting older did for him. >> i promise you, i'm living proof that it can happen for you. >> going on tour with benson boone. the beautiful things he's learned along the way. and betrayal. a wife's intuition and the horrifying discovery that followed. >> then i saw the hidden folder.

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europe fighting for answers after the owner of a company handling surrogacy funds allegedly stole millions of dollars from hopeful parents, leaving some scrambling to figure out how to pay for babies already on the way. it's an investigation in partnership with our abc-owned stations. here's erielle reshef with "from hope to heartbreak." >> this was from the embryo transfer day. this was our last embryo that we had. i think i was probably a little nervous, but i was extremely excited. >> reporter: jenna and roy copeland had been waiting for this moment for ten years. they were finally having a baby via a surrogate. >> we were thrilled. i think i remember telling roy that i was shaking whenever i got the picture of the positive pregnancy test. all three were positive. i was very excited. so, this is the start of our

nursery. >> reporter: they were preparing to share their happy news with their family and friends when their excitement was quickly overshadowed by shock, disbelief, and heartbreak. >> little did we know that the following week was going to be filled with reaching out to law enforcement, to attorneys, filing all these multiple claims, instead of being excited and getting prepared for our gender reveal party. >> to have this kind of cloud over us was terrible timing. >> reporter: the copelands discovering they were among possibly hundreds of victims alleged to have been robbed of money they put in escrow to ease their surrogacy journey. alleged victims stretching from coast to coast and even europe. >> we had put hard-earned money into this account, and what are our next steps? what are we going to do? where do we go from here? >> reporter: the copelands are joining a civil lawsuit along with at least 30 other plaintiffs. >> the escrow route was supposed to be safe and protect both sides of the transaction. so, to find out that it is kind

of like the wild west as far as surrogacy goes was kind of disheartening. >> reporter: the lawsuit claims houston-based surrogacy escrow account management, llc, s.e.a.m., and its owner, dominique side, misappropriating millions of dollars to fund her lavish lifestyle. trips all over the world. luxury cars. designer clothes. real estate ventures. and membership to the exclusive social club soho house. a video from seam's websit since taken down, shows side promising families they would be well taken care of. >> the main concerns for most people looking for services like this, are my funds secure? yes, absolutely. >> a lot of these escrow funds were intended to pay for the surrogate's medical care and prenatal care. if they're not able to get medical treatment or prenatal care, that puts those children at risk. it puts the surrogate's health

at risk, as well. >> reporter: a separate lawsuit against s.e.a.m. and side was also file. side hasn't shown up in court so we set out to find her. >> where is dominique? >> i'm not at liberty to tell you that right now. >> reporter: now a court in harris county, texas, has frozen side's assets. the fbi in houston has opened an investigation into the alleged fraud. it's estimated that around 250 families have been impacted with an estimated $10.9 million lost. "nightline" partnering with our abc-owned stations around the country, speaking to affected families and surrogates in several states. >> $45,000 is not a small amount for any family. >> we sent the money, and she walked away with it. >> reporter: what was that like for the two of you? >> we were in shock. this is what you read about in the news. we're regular people. this doesn't happen to us. >> reporter: the copelands are one of those families.

>> i think, you know, we both knew we wanted a family one day. >> reporter: growing their family wasn't easy. facing multiple miscarriages, ectop pick pregnancy, and failed ivf transfers. >> i lost a fallopian tube in the process, a lot of internal bleeding. >> the worst part was watching her deal with these hurdles and challenges. >> reporter: the georgia couple ultimately turned to surrogacy. >> we actually ended up doing a refinance on a couple of our rental properties. >> reporter: now, seven months into their pregnancy, they fear they are out $40,000. according to the lawsuit, funds from s.e.a.m. escrow accounts allegedly also helped bankroll dominique side's personal businesses, including a vegan clothing line and her music career as an r&b singer. ♪ >> reporter: and as a rapper and producer. ♪

>> selfish is the right word. she's got these other ventures that she funded with our money. and with other people's money. and she did it on the backs of hard-working people. >> reporter: sarah swallow and husband corey also chose s.e.a.m. to put their surrogacy funds in escrow. what made you go with s.e.a.m.? >> because they are one of the -- were, i guess -- one of the top recommended, most reputable surrogacy escrow companies in the states. no one has had issues. i told our attorney we were using s.e.a.m., she was like, "great company." >> reporter: sarah was born without a uterus. the couple already has one daughter, rosie, via a gestational carrier. hoping for a sibling, they were getting ready to transfer their only remaining embryo when they received an email. >> all operations have been placed on hold at this time. i'm unable to provide further details regarding this matter.

>> reading this email, it was all pretense dropped. something is not okay. >> then the last email we got was from dominique. it's very short. "my sincere apologies for the nonresponsiveness. my company and i have been noticed we are opportunity subject to an active investigation by federal authorities." >> everything that could point in the worst direction is pointing in the worst direction. >> reporter: according to the complaint, days after that final email from side was sent out, she informed her bank she wanted to close all of s.e.a.m.'s accounts writing, "the whole process ignited a fire that i can't extinguish, so i will no longer have a use for those funds." >> what did she tell you she had done? >> that there was some mismanagement of funds. and that she just wanted to make sure that we were not implicated wrongly. >> reporter: anthony hall, a known music producer and one of side's partners in her music

production business, is also a defendant in the lawsuit. he allegedly received at least $541,000 that had been funneled through one of side's businesses. i denies all wrongdoing and claims he has spoken to side, saying she told him she was turning herself in to federal authorities. >> i wanted her to just worry about herself and doing the right thing and continuing to be forth coming and honest with the upcoming interview she had with the fbi. >> reporter: but so far, side herself has not shown up in court, nor has any legal representative. she left her primary home in houston, and we tried to find her in new orleans where she owns another property allegedly bought with stolen funds from s.e.a.m. investigative reporter kevin ozabeck from ktrk was able to speak to side's mother. >> do you have any message to these expecting parents and these surrogates who are so upset at dominique? >> i mean, i understand, you

know that they're upset. i do. i mean, i really understand where they're coming from, because i have to put myself in their place. >> do you believe she deliberately funneled money out of that's crow account? >> no, i don't. but y'all have a blessed day. >> dominique's mother says she understand is why people are upset with her daughter. >> i would like to think people are good, but if you understood the gravity of the situation, you wouldn't have done what you did. >> reporter: the fbi tells abc news that they don't provide updates on specific investigations, but encouraging anyone who may have been a victim of s.e.a.m. to report it to the fbi. >> how does someone take advantage of a -- a community that is already so vulnerable, so emotionally, financially stretched already? it's sick. >> reporter: in boise, idaho, shannon willardson and her surrogate, jessica warrit, have been struggling with the gravity

of the situation. shannon said she heard had undergone multiple rounds of ivf and a failed embryo transfer before turning to surrogacy, sharing intimate moments of her fertility journey with her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. >> so, how many eggs did you get? >> we got 13 eggs. >> the expense is really extreme. and we feel so blessed that we've been able to do this. >> reporter: all in all, shannon says she lost most of the $25,000 she deposited into her escrow account with s.e.a.m. but among the heaviness, a glimmer of hope. >> i remember having a conversation with my mom where i totally broke down and was just like, i give up. at some point, nothing is working out. and i think it was like the next day that jess called me and had taken a pregnancy test, and it was positive. it just felt like the biggest tender mercy from god. >> there's two babies in my

belly. such a blessing. it's going to be so good. >> reporter: as for the swallows, they're down to their final embryo and are dedicating all their energy and remaining resources into the hopes of a second child. >> we're not able to move past this for years to come, if ever. it's just a thing that's going to be in our lives forever, probably. >> reporter: for jenna and roy copeland, the path ahead is also uncertain. they say they will have to work another year beyond their planned retirement to be able to pay their surrogate. >> unfortunately, we did have to pull these funds from our retirement account. >> to have to pull these funds out is a big hindrance. we're set back. we've got to figure out another way to make that happen. >> reporter: despite the challenges, the copelands enjoying the precious moments. like finding out, come november, they will be having a baby girl. but while they wait, they also continue to fight. >> this lady needs to be brought

to justice, and we need to get our money back so that we can continue this journey and make sure that our baby has everything she needs now and in the future. >> stephanie: our thanks to erielle. when we come back, daniel seavey reflects on finding fame at 15 and the real lessons that came with getting older. ♪ came with getting older. ♪ ♪ detect this: living with hiv, robert learned he can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why he switched to dovato. dovato is a complete hiv treatment for some adults. no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: marnina learned that most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. if you have hepatitis b, don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking dofetilide.

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daniel seavey wowed the "american idol" judges as a child prodigy. but after ten years in the music industry, seavey says the most important things he's learned came from life experience. here's abc's megan wright. ♪ >> there it is. i think i'm doing better than ever creatively in terms of being the best artist i can be. i've never been more happy and confident with what i'm doing. >> reporter: at 25 years old, musician daniel seavey is finding his own voice after a decade in the industry. >> i like to see you smile about it. your love for this. >> this is where the good memories come from, for sure. the studio was always the fun space. maybe a little too fun. ♪ if i'm gonna be the one at least give me back my love ♪ >> reporter: after hitting it big in 2016 with the boy band why don't we, known for hits like "love back."

♪ signing a record deal with the band at just 15 years old. >> we signed a deal probably way too quick. it's just the classic story where we didn't know enough about this business. >> reporter: now, years after his music career was overshadowed by an ongoing legal battle with their management team, seavey is moving forward with launching his solo career with songs like "can we pretend that we're good?" ♪ can we pretend that we're good ♪ >> reporter: this year joining benson boone on his u.s. tour. ♪ these beautiful things that i've done ♪ >> reporter: releasing a new album and single, "the older you get." ♪ the best things in life ♪ ♪ guess what happens the older you get ♪ >> it's about getting older. you know, on top of all the chaos of the band breaking up, at that same time, through all

the lawsuits, i went bankrupt. my mom got stage 3 lymphoma cancer. my parents divorced. my best friend died in a car accident in front of me. i remember one day sitting in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. i made that decision right in that moment that whatever i need to do to get out of this funk, i am going to do it. you know, i told my whole team, "i need to go on tour, i need to make music." >> reporter: seavey, drawn to music at just 5 years old, leading him to the limelight as a teen. he made it to the top nine on "american idol" before getting voted off. ♪ clap along if you feel like a room without a roof ♪ >> reporter: soon after, an opportunity struck when a fellow musician reached out. >> he was just like, "do you want to come out to l.a. with a couple of friends?" and i was like, free trip to l.a.? it was one of the best weeks of my life.

we hit it off immediately. i think someone was like, "why don't we make a band?" oh, wow. that's got a ring to it. >> why don't we was formed. their first single, "taking you," helping make their mark. his latest project proving he still has more to show. >> my fans literally are the reason that i am still doing music or putting a tour up. like, what am i doing? i'm about to be the biggest joke in the world right now, putting this up. and -- it sold out. >> reporter: imposter syndrome there. >> oh, yeah, like no other. >> reporter: after so many lessons already learned, and now stepping out solo, seavey is looking forward. if you could tell your younger self something, what would that be? >> take what others say with a grain of salt. trust yourself.

if you make the effort to make your life better and make that decision, i promise you, i am living proof that it can happen for you. >> stephanie: our thanks to megan. when we come back, what happens when the person you think you know best turns out to be a total stranger? (♪) (♪) (♪) the thrill of finding your path with the nissan pathfinder rock creek. (♪) my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis held me back... now with skyrizi, i'm all in with clearer skin. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ (♪) ♪ i feel free ♪ (♪) ♪ to bare my skin, yeah that's all me. ♪

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♪ >> stephanie: finally tonight, the husband and father she thought she knew until everything unraveled. >> september 29th, 2021. my husband called me and asked me to set up a venmo account for him. i didn't do it right away, but he called me back, pretty frantic. i could tell he was really anxious. so, i was like, what's he hiding? then i saw the hidden folder. i opened it. then i couldn't believe my [ bleep ] eyes. >> the binge