On October 13, 2026, the trial of the case involving the California pro-Communist leader Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang, also known as Zhang Siwei, was scheduled to begin. However, on the morning of the trial day, Guojun Xuan was rushed to the hospital due to a sudden health emergency and was unable to appear in court. Their defense attorneys stated that they would continue to fight for a reduction in bail amounts in the afternoon to secure their release.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang were arrested on the 6th on charges of large-scale surrogacy and child abuse, facing serious criminal charges. Prosecutors also revealed disturbing evidence of child abuse.
Considering the risk of flight by the defendants and the nature and severity of the crimes involved, prosecutors recommended setting their bails at $100 million each.
During the initial court appearance on the 6th, Guojun Xuan appeared bald and in a wheelchair. His defense attorney claimed that Guojun Xuan had leukemia and had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant. The judge ultimately set bail at $20 million each and denied the defendants’ request for a bail review. Therefore, as of Monday morning, both were still being held in separate facilities.
Before the Monday trial, Guojun Xuan’s lead attorney Mitchell Krems and Silvia Shasha Zhang’s private attorney Matt Koohanim were present as scheduled.
Several Chinese individuals were also in attendance, with one man claiming to be a friend of Guojun Xuan, while another woman refused to disclose her relationship with the defendants. Additionally, a Chinese attorney informed friends that a team of lawyers would be formed to defend Guojun Xuan.
Although Guojun Xuan was unable to attend the trial due to the medical emergency, attorney Koohanim stated, “Silvia Shasha will appear in the afternoon. We will argue for a reduction in bail to secure their release.”
Prosecutors previously stated that the couple had over 200 bank accounts and had transferred over $250 million in funds in the past three years, with one account having a balance of over $70 million.
This highly publicized and controversial surrogacy and child abuse case came to light unexpectedly in May last year: Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang were found to be raising 21 infants and young children in a mansion worth around $4 million. These children were born to different surrogate mothers, but legal guardianship was held exclusively by the couple.
According to the criminal complaint, the charges date back to April 2021. Starting in 2022, the couple recruited surrogate mothers across the United States through surrogacy agencies, repeatedly concealing their true family situation.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that the couple had created a “house of horrors” for these extremely young children inside the mansion, spanning 10,287 square feet. The residence had over thirty surveillance cameras to monitor the children and caretakers, with at least 15 children suffering repeated physical abuse.
He said, “This case is unprecedented and horrifying. The physical abuse, beatings, and punishment these young children endured are absolutely heinous.”
The case is still in the prosecution and investigation stages. If convicted, Guojun Xuan faces a maximum sentence of 17 years and 4 months in state prison, while Silvia Shasha Zhang faces a maximum of 11 years and 8 months of imprisonment.