Couple Accused in Surrogacy Scandal to Seek Release From Jail, Attorneys Say
Prosecutors say the couple ran a surrogacy agency from their mansion and used 32 cameras to monitor alleged punishment of children as young as 2 months.
- On Tuesday, attorneys for Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang requested their release from jail as the Arcadia couple remains in custody on $20 million bail each pending trial on child abuse charges.
- Prosecutors allege the pair operated a "house of horrors" at their mansion, where CCTV footage revealed nannies carried out a "pervasive system of physical abuse" at the couple's direction between April 27 and May 7, 2025.
- Operating their own firm, Mark Surrogacy Investments, the couple collected 21 surrogate children and maintained "learning centers" monitored by 32 surveillance cameras, allegedly misleading birth mothers about their family circumstances.
- Defense attorney Mitchell Krems argued the couple faces unfair scrutiny, stating his client is "not abusive whatsoever," while Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the residence a "house of horrors."
- The FBI is probing the enterprise for money laundering and surrogacy fraud; if convicted, Xuan faces up to 17 years and four months in prison, while Zhang could face up to 11 years and eight months.
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The Derrick
Arcadia surrogacy mansion parents left years-long trail of red flags before child abuse case
LOS ANGELES — In 2019, two years before Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang began amassing a family of more than 20 surrogate children, Zhang was accused of misdemeanor child abuse after leaving her then-8-year-old daughter in a hot car for…
The problem with the US surrogacy system
For some couples, surrogacy is a miracle: an opportunity to have a child even if they’re unable to conceive one naturally. But it’s also big business. Not only is surrogacy expensive — think six figures — but it’s also largely unregulated. And that last part is becoming a bigger problem. Just last week, a California […]
abc 6 Philadelphia
Couple accused in surrogacy scandal to seek release from jail, attorneys say
An Arcadia couple facing child abuse-related charges in a surrogacy scandal plan to seek release from jail, according to their attorneys.
Bail Hearing Set for Arcadia Couple Charged in Surrogate Children Abuse Case
A bail review hearing was scheduled Monday for an Arcadia couple charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse and other crimes stemming from allegations that young children born through surrogates were beaten and mistreated at their mansion. Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $20 million bail […]
Pro-China community leaders in California, including Hsuan Kuo-Chun and Chang Szu-Wei, are involved in a large-scale surrogacy case. Prosecutors revealed that the couple controlled approximately 200 bank accounts with annual transactions reaching $250 million. They have close ties with China and face a high risk of fleeing. They could face up to 17 years in prison.
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