Surro Connections Arraignment: All Three Defendants Plead Not Guilty, Bond Set

On September 3, 2026, Megan Hall-Greenberg, Jeffrey Greenberg, and Heather Morgan appeared before Magistrate Judge Ajay S. Krishnan in the Northern District of California and each entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. Bond was set and all three defendants were released. The case will proceed before the Honorable Araceli Martinez-Olguin, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California.

The arraignment marks the formal opening of the criminal proceedings following the August 26 indictment on 14 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. As observed during the public arraignment hearing conducted via Zoom, all three defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.

FamilyVale will continue to monitor and report on developments as the case moves through the federal court system.

The court set bond for all three defendants following their not guilty pleas. According to the public arraignment hearing:

• Megan Hall-Greenberg: $50,000 bond
• Jeffrey Greenberg: $25,000 bond
• Heather Morgan: $25,000 bond

Hall-Greenberg's bond was set at double the amount imposed on the other two defendants, consistent with her role as the owner and executive director of Surro Connections and the defendant named in the most counts in the indictment. According to court filings reviewed by FamilyVale, she is identified as the primary operator of the alleged scheme.

The three defendants are represented, or not yet represented, under different circumstances, according to court filings reviewed by FamilyVale.

Megan Hall-Greenberg is represented by James Phillip Vaughns, appointed through the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). CJA appointments are made when a defendant represents to the court that she cannot afford to retain private counsel. Hall-Greenberg's attorney also filed an application on August 28 seeking government-funded travel expenses for her to attend court proceedings; that application was denied by the court on September 1. The indictment alleges that Hall-Greenberg and Jeffrey Greenberg spent over $1 million in misappropriated escrow funds on personal expenses, including cruises, luxury goods, and casino gambling.

Jeffrey Greenberg retained private counsel. He is represented by Ronald Hoevet of Portland, Oregon, who was admitted to the Northern District of California pro hac vice for this matter, and Shaffy Moeel of Berkeley, California, according to the case docket.

Heather Morgan appeared at the arraignment with counsel present. As of September 4, her attorney has not yet filed a formal notice of appearance in the court docket. FamilyVale will update this article when her representation is reflected in the public record.

On August 28, Hall-Greenberg's court-appointed attorney filed an application requesting that the government pay for her travel expenses to appear in court. The court denied that application on September 1, the docket indicates. The basis for the denial was not detailed in the public docket entry.

As conditions of their release, all three defendants were required to surrender their passports and their travel was restricted to specified federal districts. Morgan is additionally permitted to travel to Idaho for family visits. These are standard conditions in federal cases.

For readers encountering this case for the first time: Surro Connections was a surrogacy agency that operated out of Camas, Washington. On December 5, 2025, the company abruptly ceased operations, leaving more than 400 intended parent clients and more than 170 surrogates (at least 70 of whom were pregnant) without support or access to the escrow funds they had deposited with the agency. On August 26, 2026, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of California returned a 14-count indictment against Hall-Greenberg, Morgan, and Jeffrey Greenberg on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

FamilyVale published a full analysis of the indictment, including the detailed allegations, the text messages cited by prosecutors, and what the case means for families working with surrogacy agencies. Read our full indictment analysis.

Following an arraignment in a federal criminal case, the proceedings typically move through several stages:

• Status conferences: The court will schedule conferences to track the progress of the case, resolve scheduling disputes, and address pretrial matters.
• Discovery: The government is required to turn over evidence to the defense, including the materials it intends to use at trial. Defense counsel will review and respond to that disclosure.
• Pretrial motions: Defense attorneys may file motions to suppress evidence, dismiss charges, or raise other pretrial issues. The government may respond and the court will rule.
• Plea negotiations or trial: The vast majority of federal cases resolve through plea agreements rather than trial. If no agreement is reached, the case would proceed to trial before Judge Martinez-Olguin.

The next court date is scheduled for October 5, 2026. FamilyVale will report on any developments from that hearing.

Federal criminal cases of this complexity often take 12 to 24 months from indictment to resolution. FamilyVale will continue reviewing public court filings and reporting on significant developments as they occur.

Surro Connections operated in Washington State and two of the three defendants are based in the Pacific Northwest. For families who are now reconsidering agency partnerships and considering a fresh start in a surrogacy-friendly jurisdiction, our state law guides may be helpful:

• Surrogacy Laws in Washington State: A 2026 Guide
• Surrogacy Laws in Oregon: A 2026 Guide

An indictment is a formal accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

FamilyVale is a community and resource platform for intended parents, surrogates, egg donors, and sperm donors. We provide independent guidance and support for families navigating the surrogacy journey. Learn more at familyvale.org

Court filings referenced in this article are public documents available through PACER (Case No. 4:26-cr-00427-AMO, Northern District of California, Oakland Division). Plea and bond information is based on firsthand observation of the public arraignment hearing conducted via Zoom on September 3, 2026.