CA - California couple accused of tricking women into carrying babies through surrogacy; 21 children seized

[angelainwi]

Were they possibly trying to create the "perfect" baby/child?? And of course no baby/child is perfect. Perfect in most parent's eyes, but not what would probably be deemed the "perfect" baby/child....Maybe they just kept trying and trying...

 

[SophieRose]

It has happened before and that case has also been recently in the news.

Influencer who had 21 surrogate babies with murderer husband is back!

Kristina Ozturk, from Moscow, shot to fame in 2021 when she revealed she and her husband spent £138,000 on surrogates between March 2020 and July 2021.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Stunned]

Sadly my mind went to the same place. Normal people don't have 21 babies. This sounds like a nightmarish supply/demand scenario, complete with "hotel suites" inside the house.

These are toddlers. Toddlers have no use for hotel suites. Adults do.

We're there more male or female toddlers kept there?

 

[AngTxGal]

What were these people up too? He’s 65, she’s 38, what’s their money source? I’m not sure what the average cost of surrogacy is, but there’s also the cost of raising 21 kids.

And what about the agency, who owns it?

That was my question- how are they paying for that home, nannies, taking care of all those kids and the surrogates?

News Nation- Interview with surrogate in Texas
I saw this interview- K Elliott, who wants her baby back. I don’t blame her! The thought of giving up a child- and then find out something isn’t quite right.
She says the woman didn’t seem to care, acted cold toward the baby.
And- the baby was Asian- great question. I wondered that myself.
Hoping she can gain custody.

Former FBI Agent was thinking possibly espionage or child trafficking!
She says the couple owned the surrogacy agency. Weird
Wow, a home setup like a hotel with a check-in desk?!

IMO

 

[Knox]

That was my question- how are they paying for that home, nannies, taking care of all those kids and the surrogates?

News Nation- Interview with surrogate in Texas
I saw this interview- K Elliott, who wants her baby back. I don’t blame her! The thought of giving up a child- and then find out something isn’t quite right.
She says the woman didn’t seem to care, acted cold toward the baby.
And- the baby was Asian- great question. I wondered that myself.
Hoping she can gain custody.

Former FBI Agent was thinking possibly espionage or child trafficking!
She says the couple owned the surrogacy agency. Weird
Wow, a home setup like a hotel with a check-in desk?!

IMO

There’s a very indepth interview on YouTube I listened to last night. A surrogate advocate interviewed KE, pretty interesting.

 

[Knox]

A Southern California couple at the center of a child abuse investigation that involves 21 young children, some of whom were birthed by different surrogate mothers, engaged in unethical and illegal activity while running their real estate business, according to two separate lawsuits filed by former employees.

“They’re terrible people. They just had shady business practices,” said Tina Powers, a former real estate assistant for Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan.

Couple in California surrogate case also faces two lawsuits over real estate business practices

The employees said they were denied breaks and paid late, among other allegations in the lawsuit filed two years ago and still pending in Los Angeles County.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Knox]

Jeeze, how many LLC's do these two have?

 

[Knox]

Powers said that when she worked for the couple, many of the rooms in the nine-bedroom home had been turned into offices, and there were cameras everywhere because “they thought you were conspiring against them.”

Around July 2022, the real estate business moved out of the mansion and into an office building in El Monte. Powers said she was terminated by the couple in September 2022 after she began speaking up for herself and her colleagues.

Couple in California surrogate case also faces two lawsuits over real estate business practices

The employees said they were denied breaks and paid late, among other allegations in the lawsuit filed two years ago and still pending in Los Angeles County.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Knox]

She recalled seeing four or five children in the home: one she believed to be biologically Zhang’s from a previous relationship and three others who she believed biologically belonged to a woman who was allegedly a surrogate and a nanny. Zhang and Xuan also had one biological child together, Powers said.

“We used to call it the nursery. There were two girls that helped her out with that,” she said. “One of them was a surrogate.”

Couple in California surrogate case also faces two lawsuits over real estate business practices

The employees said they were denied breaks and paid late, among other allegations in the lawsuit filed two years ago and still pending in Los Angeles County.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Knox]

So it sounds like right after they moved the real estate business out of the house, they started the surrogacy business? Guess that's probably not coincidental - they wouldn't have wanted employees to witness what was going on. I'll bet the nannies have questionable immigration status. I ONLY say this because these two are clearly horrible people. I can see them hiring people who they used and were able to manipulate. Who would be fearful of ever reporting anything to LE. Disgusting!!

 

[Izzylizzy]

I am not a fan of "surrogacy". It is not unlike prostitution to me, and that is illegal in most places. The whole thing is exploitative. Rich folks, paying women to use their bodies as a nine month incubator.

Are all of the babies linked genetically to this couple? Or is it an even deeper scenario?

How convenient, eh?

15 celebrities who welcomed children via surrogates

From Lily Collins to Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra...

www.cosmopolitan.com

 

[Izzylizzy]

Like with all good things in this world, corruption happens. Surrogacy is a beautiful thing for couples who cannot carry their own child.

Yes, "a beautiful thing" but only the wealthy need apply.

snip:

When you become a gestational carrier with American Surrogacy, total surrogacy pay ranges from $55,000 - $110,000+. The exact amount you make will depend on factors such as:

• Your level of experience: If this is your second or third time being a gestational carrier, you will make more in experienced surrogate compensation than you did in first time surrogate compensation. First-time surrogate typically earn between $55,000 - $90,000 in total compensation, while second-time carriers can make between $60,000 - $110,000 in surrogate compensation.

How Much Do Surrogates Make? [Surrogate Compensation Breakdown] - American Surrogacy

How much does it pay to be a surrogate mother? American Surrogacy offers competitive surrogate compensation rates to meet your needs and preferences. Learn more about our payment schedule here and apply to our agency today.

www.americansurrogacy.com

 

[Diddian]

It seems likely this is a case of using surrogacy to gain US citizenship (by birthright) for children of foreign couples willing to pay substantial sums for that privilege. Once that child with dual-citizenship reaches age 21, their foreign parents can then apply for Green Cards and eventually gain U.S. citizenship for themselves.

Wealthy Chinese seek U.S. surrogates for second child, green card

Wealthy Chinese are hiring American women to serve as surrogates for their children, creating a small but growing business in $120,000 "designer" American babies for China's elite.

www.reuters.com

MSN

 

[Megnut]

Two surrogates speak out about California couple under investigation

Authorities are investigating a Southern California couple after their infant child was taken to a hospital with a traumatic head injury and 21 children were discovered in their custody

abcnews.go.com

 

[SophieRose]

Two surrogates speak out about California couple under investigation

Authorities are investigating a Southern California couple after their infant child was taken to a hospital with a traumatic head injury and 21 children were discovered in their custody

abcnews.go.com

From the article:

Esperanza's dealings with Zhang began in 2023. She had posted in a Facebook group for people interested in surrogacy and received a message from Zhang.

Zhang said she and her partner already had an 8-year-old daughter in China but were having fertility issues. Zhang said she was working with a surrogate who was already pregnant but that she wanted “twins," so she was pursuing a second surrogate. But Esperanza said things started to feel amiss after Zhang asked if she had any friends who also wanted to be surrogates.

“She said that she’s a realtor in Arcadia and that’s how she has a lot of money and was able to afford a lot of surrogates at the time,” Esperanza said.

Esperanza backed out of the surrogacy after the lawyer for the couple abruptly hung up on her while discussing the contract. She said the document said the couple would implant two embryos instead of one and the section requiring background information on the couple was cut out. The couple became angry when she decided not to move forward.

Esperanza showed text messages to the AP that showed Zhang offering $3,000 more if she agreed to keep going, and another $2,000 bonus after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

 

[SophieRose]

Who took the injured baby to the hospital?

 

[Knox]

It seems likely this is a case of using surrogacy to gain US citizenship (by birthright) for children of foreign couples willing to pay substantial sums for that privilege. Once that child with dual-citizenship reaches age 21, their foreign parents can then apply for Green Cards and eventually gain U.S. citizenship for themselves.

Wealthy Chinese seek U.S. surrogates for second child, green card

Wealthy Chinese are hiring American women to serve as surrogates for their children, creating a small but growing business in $120,000 "designer" American babies for China's elite.

www.reuters.com

MSN

What is mystifying to me though, is the age of the kids who were removed. Not all are babies, many are toddlers up to three years old. As @Stunned asked up thread, I would like to know the ages/sex of the kids in CPS custody.

In China, I believe their 1979 One-Child policy is still in effect. Males to carry on the family name and care for aging parents, are preferred.

 

[Knox]

Who took the baby to the hospital?

Assume the parents. After two days, the baby started having seizures!!!

 

[SophieRose]

What is mystifying to me though, is the age of the kids who were removed. Not all are babies, many are toddlers up to three years old. As @Stunned asked up thread, I would like to know the ages/sex of the kids in CPS custody.

In China, I believe their 1979 One-Child policy is still in effect. Males to carry on the family name and care for aging parents, are preferred.

China got rid of the One Child Policy in 2015. It caused more problems and I read that many of those problems were mentioned might happen back in 1979 when it was first implemented. Now they have problems getting the people to have more than one child because children are expensive. India now has the largest population in the world.

 

[Cedars]

It seems likely this is a case of using surrogacy to gain US citizenship (by birthright) for children of foreign couples willing to pay substantial sums for that privilege. Once that child with dual-citizenship reaches age 21, their foreign parents can then apply for Green Cards and eventually gain U.S. citizenship for themselves.

Wealthy Chinese seek U.S. surrogates for second child, green card

Wealthy Chinese are hiring American women to serve as surrogates for their children, creating a small but growing business in $120,000 "designer" American babies for China's elite.

www.reuters.com

MSN

However, all the children and surrogacy contracts in this case appear to be with one couple. It would be interesting, though, to know about the children's birth certificates...

I think this is possibly a 'psycho' case. Some rich women cannot stop buying designer shoes, perhaps when you can just buy babies and nannies, you start to treat them as just status objects.