California Couple With 21 Children Face Abuse Charges In Surrogacy Scandal

Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, landed in custody on October 6, 2026, over an alleged surrogacy scheme in Arcadia, California. Both face charges of conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation. They pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $20 million each.

What Happened

According to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the couple operated a surrogacy agency, initially named Mark Surrogacy and later Future Spring Surrogacy, directly out of their residence.

Yahoo News reported that “Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, are facing charges including child abuse and conspiracy” after authorities alleged they were the parents of 21 children, mostly born via surrogate mothers misled across the United States.

Children Were Beaten

Prosecutors described the property as a “house of horrors” where toddlers were subjected to structured physical beatings, slapping, and forced squats by nannies.

As noted in the Los Angeles DA’s release, the couple allegedly monitored what went down on 32 motion-activated cameras and instructed nannies to hit children without leaving visible marks.

What Started The Investigation?

The first red flags appeared in May 2025 when a 2-month-old infant suffered a traumatic brain injury which allegedly happened after the infant was “shaken and struck” by a nanny, Chunmei Li.

According to an ABC7 report, it’s believed that Li might have fled to China. The report cited legal analyst Neama Rahmani as saying, “I think it’s unlikely that we’ll have Li arrested and extradited to the United States.”

High Bail But Lots of Money?

Xuan faces additional charges, including child abuse and accessory after the fact. During the arraignment, prosecutors claimed she had access to about 200 bank accounts and at least 70 corporate accounts, with a combined value exceeding $100 million.

Nevertheless, their defense attorney, Mitchell Krems, disputed the claims of financial wealth and called the $20 million bail figure “absurd” during court proceedings.

Viewers React

When ABC7 covered the news on YouTube on Wednesday, many viewers seemed angry and upset.

One person commented, “My gut tells me this was some sort of child trafficking/U.S. citizenship operation.”

Here are a few more responses from the discussion:

• “There have been stories about the dude for several years. Shame on the system that allowed this to happen for so long.”
• “Give them life in prison. I’ve been abused as a child. Those children suffered give them life in prison.”
• “Hope that money goes to all those poor kids.”
• “Very definition of “money talks”. There should have been no bail period. With 100M he could disappear and never be found.”
• “How does a couple like that earn, after taxes, $100 million on “local real estate?” That would be hard to imagine.”

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