Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, aged 65 and 38 respectively at the time of their arrest last May, were taken into custody in Arcadia for allegedly having 21 surrogate-born children. The couple was accused of neglect and abuse after police discovered these children across several properties they owned, including a $4.1 million mansion. Xuan's lawyer claims his client wanted to create a large family to raise well-educated children who could contribute positively to society, but he declined to comment on accusations of abuse due to confidentiality constraints.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Guojun Xuan and his partner Silvia Zhang, aged 65 and 38 respectively at the time, were arrested in Arcadia, California on May 9, 2021, for allegedly running a surrogacy business scheme involving the birth of 21 surrogate-born children. The couple was detained after police discovered these children, ranging from two months to 13 years old, across multiple properties they owned, including their castle-like $4.1 million mansion. Xuan's attorney Mitchell Krems claims his client wanted to raise a large family of well-adjusted and educated children who would contribute positively to society. However, the couple faces state and federal investigations for child abuse and neglect; they were released on $500,000 bail each but have not been seen publicly since their arrest.
Written for “Surrogate Baby Case California” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 58620 · logged 2026-10-05
Almost a year after a scandalous couple was accused of running a disturbing surrogacy business scheme in California, their lawyer has made claims about why the duo wanted nearly two dozen children.
uncertain
duo → accuse → children
Guojun Xuan and his partner Silvia Zhang, who were 65 and 38 at the time of their arrest last year, were taken into custody on May 9 on suspicion of child abuse and neglect at their castle-like $4.1 million Arcadia mansion.
uncertain
who → take → mansion
Arcadia Police had found 21 surrogate-born children, ranging in age from two months to 13 years, across multiple properties the couple had owned.
asserted
couple → find → properties
The couple’s attorney said that his client, Xuan, wanted to have many kids because he believed they could make meaningful contributions to society when they grew up.
uncertain
they → say → society
Mitchell Krems described his client's cause as ‘rooted in a desire to help create good citizens,’ during an interview with ABC News 7.
asserted
Krems → describe → News
He told the outlet that Xuan wanted to spend his resources to help his children become educated and do good for the world.
asserted
children → tell → world
They were out of jail on $500,000 bail each and have not been seen publicly since their arrest.
asserted
They → see → arrest
The Daily Mail had spotted Xuan at one of his buildings less than 10 miles from the Arcadia mansion in August 2025.
asserted
Mail → spot → August
Guojun Xuan and his partner Silvia Zhang were allegedly running a baby factory in their $4.1million castle-like mansion in Arcadia
The couple is under state and federal investigation while they are out of jail on $500,000 bail each
uncertain
they → run → bail
Xuan's lawyer, Mitchell Krems said his client wanted as many as two dozen kids because he wanted them to grow up and do good for society
Speaking of the couple's desire to have lots of children, Krems added: ‘On the surface, it seems like it's very eccentric, but I have gotten to know Mr Xuan on a very personal level as his attorney, and it has become apparent to me that his desire to have so many kids emanates from his altruism.’
asserted
desire → say → altruism
He added: ‘The reason he has all these children is because he wants them to contribute to society.’
asserted
them → add → society
Some who are wealthy might spend on jewelry or cars, but he is actually spending his resources to help his children become educated so that they can be the philosophers, the physicians, the researchers and the inventors that help society,' the attorney said.
uncertain
attorney → spend → society
The lawyer was also questioned on whether children had been abused inside Xuan’s mansion.
asserted
children → question → mansion
He said: ‘I can't comment due to confidentiality as to search warrants or any pending case, but what I will say is any general accusation that my client is abusive in any way whatsoever is categorically false.’
asserted
client → say → way
The couple has been laying low since their release on $500,000 bail each, but the Daily Mail spotted Guojun Xuan at his office in August 2025
One of the couple's children, two-month-old Baby Walter, suffered severe head injuries, according to a warrant filed by the Arcadia Police Department
Police said a nanny can be seen spanking a child on a makeshift classroom desk on surveillance footage
Xuan and Zhang were taken into custody after a local hospital notified police that their two-month-old boy Walter was brought in with traumatic head injuries, according to the warrants.
A search warrant obtained by ABC News 7 revealed that their son suffered an apparent head injury when the couple's nanny, Chunmei Li, was captured hitting the baby on security camera video inside the home.
uncertain
nanny → lay → home
The warrant stated that footage showed the baby cried for a few seconds ‘until a thud or hit is heard,' and that the crying stopped suddenly.
asserted
crying → state → seconds
Xuan and Zhang's former staff told The Daily Mail that working for the couple felt like serving under a military regime.
asserted
working → tell → regime
They claimed that employees were subjected to constant threats, screams and physical harm.
asserted
employees → claim → threats
In one of the still photos taken from the video surveillance footage, a child was seen lying on his belly on top of a table with his pants down as he was allegedly being spanked by a nanny, according to the search warrant.
uncertain
he → take → warrant
The Daily Mail had also revealed last year that Xuan was one of the top contributors to disgraced Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang, who pleaded guilty in June to charges that she was an illegal agent for China and helped spread propaganda in the US on behalf of the Chinese government.
asserted
she → reveal → government
He was a top contributor to Wang's first election campaign in 2022 and provided the Chinese operative with $4,900.
asserted
He → provide → 4,900
The couple has had at least five more surrogate-born babies in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Georgia after the controversy, CBS News reported in January.
asserted
News → have → January
All the children were also taken into state custody and the couple are fighting for their custody across four states and suing some surrogates in the process, the outlet reported.
asserted
outlet → take → process
The Aporia
