According to The New Yorker, Guojun Xuan and his wife, Silvia Zhang, allegedly exploited California's permissive surrogacy laws to establish their own company, Mark Surrogacy. They reportedly created numerous children using Xuan's sperm and anonymous donor eggs.

Zhang, 38, gave birth to two children for Xuan in 2021 and 2022. However, Xuan desired more children. Consequently, they founded the surrogacy brokerage, Mark Surrogacy, at their million-dollar mansion in Arcadia. They presented themselves as a couple eager to provide a sibling for their daughter.

Their fervent plea attracted dozens of women who agreed to be surrogates. Each woman believed she was the only one carrying a child for the couple.

Employees at the couple's mansion stated that the 65-year-old owner was "a wealthy man who wanted many children" at any cost. Staff speculated that Xuan's obsession with progeny stemmed from a hope that one of his children would become a US president. Several children were reportedly named after prominent American politicians and foreign leaders.

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang's 4 million USD mansion in Arcadia, California. *Photo: AP*

Commercial surrogacy is prohibited or strictly regulated in most countries. However, the United States has few specific regulations on the matter; New York is the only state that requires a specialized license to operate a surrogacy brokerage.

Zhang and Xuan were arrested on suspicion of child abuse and neglect in 5/2025 after a 2-month-old child under their care was hospitalized with severe head trauma. The children were taken into government custody.

The couple is currently out on bail as the investigation into child abuse continues.

Guojun Xuan (left, 65) and Silvia Zhang, 38. *Photo: Nypost*

Since Zhang and Xuan's arrest, at least 5 additional surrogate mothers have given birth to children for them in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

The legal status of many children remains undetermined, as several surrogates are now seeking custody after learning the full truth. The oldest child was 13, and the youngest was 2 months old at the time of the couple's arrest.

Xuan and Zhang have filed lawsuits against at least two surrogate mothers who cut off communication and refused to hand over children after the couple's arrest. Xuan accuses them of breach of contract, demanding custody and 1 million USD in compensation. According to court documents, the surrogates had initially signed agreements worth 45,000 and 70,000 USD, plus pregnancy expenses.

Lawyers for Xuan and Zhang stated that their clients desired a large family and had done nothing wrong. They denied allegations of child abuse and rumors of "birthing children for US citizenship and selling them to others." The couple is currently fighting to regain custody of the children through courts in four states.

By Tue Anh, adapted from Nypost and CBS