Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang Charged in Surrogacy Child Abuse Case

What changed

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang have been charged in California with abusing at least 14 children born via surrogacy and with dissuading a witness. Prosecutors allege they conspired to abuse 15 of the 16 children living at their Arcadia home; both pleaded not guilty after authorities removed 21 children from their custody in 2025.

Why it matters

The case places the surrogacy arrangement at the centre of a criminal investigation involving children ranging from two months to 13 years old. Xuan and Zhang operated their own surrogacy company, and investigators allege they misled at least two women who carried embryos for them.

The investigation began in May 2025, after a two-month-old boy arrived at hospital with a head injury. Police later found three rooms described as “learning centres,” multiple nannies and 32 motion-activated cameras. Prosecutors allege footage shows children being spanked, slapped or hit, including the injured baby.

Those allegations still have to be tested in court. The couple’s lawyer calls the case a mischaracterisation and says Xuan is innocent. If convicted, Xuan could face up to 17 years and four months in prison, while Zhang could face up to 11 years and eight months.