A Chinese immigrant couple continues pursuing surrogate pregnancies across multiple states even after authorities removed their 21 children following allegations of abuse and deception in an unprecedented surrogacy scandal.
Mass Child Removal Reveals Deceptive Operation
Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38, an unmarried Chinese immigrant couple, operated a sophisticated deception targeting American surrogate mothers. Police discovered 15 children in their Arcadia mansion in May 2025, with six additional children located elsewhere, totaling 21 surrogate-born children under their guardianship. The raid followed hospitalization of a 2-month-old infant with traumatic head injuries consistent with shaking, allegedly inflicted by nanny Chunmei Li, who remains a fugitive.
Surveillance footage revealed disturbing patterns of severe discipline, including children being spanked on tables and subjected to harsh verbal abuse. Neighbors reported hearing screams and witnessing forced potty-training sessions.
The home operated like an institutional facility, with uniformly dressed children in gender-neutral clothing and close-cropped haircuts, creating what investigators described as a “kindergarten-like” environment managed by multiple staff members.
Hidden Agency Ownership Enabled Systematic Deception
The couple secretly owned two surrogacy recruitment agencies, Mark Surrogacy and Future Spring Surrogacy, both registered to their property addresses but never disclosed to prospective surrogate mothers.
Through Facebook recruitment, they deceived birth mothers into believing they had zero to one existing children, when in reality they already had accumulated over 20 children through previous surrogacy arrangements. This deception allowed them to continue finding willing surrogates who would likely have refused to participate had they known the proper scope.
Surrogate mothers like Kayla Elliott, Melissa Epps, and Stacy King now describe feeling completely betrayed and scammed by the elaborate ruse. The couple compensated surrogates approximately $10,000 each while building what investigators suspect may have been a trafficking operation disguised as family-building. FBI agents had been investigating the couple’s surrogacy setup since 2023, contacting surrogates and attorneys before the May 2025 raid occurred.
Continued Pursuit Despite Federal Investigation
Rather than ceasing their activities after losing custody of 21 children, Xuan and Zhang pursued at least five additional surrogate pregnancies across Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
These newborns have also been taken into state custody as authorities expanded their investigation. The couple responded by filing lawsuits against multiple surrogates, demanding $1 million each for breach of contract while simultaneously seeking custody of all children through ongoing legal battles.
This case highlights the dangerous regulatory vacuum in American surrogacy practices, where federal oversight remains nonexistent and state-by-state approaches create exploitable loopholes.
As expert Kallie Fell from the Center for Bioethics and Culture noted, “Anything goes… agencies and clinics are not regulated.” The couple’s ability to operate across multiple states while under FBI investigation demonstrates how easily bad actors can exploit vulnerable women and potentially harm children in this unregulated marketplace.
Sources:
Why there are no federal rules for surrogacy after 21 children were removed from a California couple
After the Presidency of Joe Biden I swore I would never vote for another Democrat. He was a disgrace to the U. S. population in many ways. Especially due to the damage he and his administration did to our culture and morals.
I actually voted for Donald Trump and felt a great sigh of relief as he prevented the continuation of the disgrace the Democrats put on us. Now, after nine months of Trump, I am thoroughly disappointed in what the Trump administration is giving us. His pompous, egotistical and cruel demeanor has rightfully earned him comparisons to people like Hitler and Mussalini ! That is a just comparison. Think about it: there may be something seriously flawed with our Democracy when we are given a Republican like Trump or a Democrat even resembling Joe Biden as our only two choices in a presidential election. The very worst rise to the top. Maybe it has something to do with money.
Many, many U S Citizens considered Joe Biden a National disgrace as President of the United States. He was clearly incompetent – from the beginning to the end of his term in office. He did his best to ruin our culture and morals. But the voters (apparently) elected that sick person.
Now we are saddled with Donald Trump. We dare to compare him to Hitler, Netanyahu and Mussalini. What a terrible image. Many competent psychologists would consider that obsessed egomaniac to be clinically ill.
Certainly, I pray, there are a few intelligent people somewhere in Congress who can engineer a way to save American Democracy from Presidents like Biden and Trump. Assuming we can survive the next three long years.