‘What You Did Is Foul’: Nevada Woman Says She Was Tricked Into Carrying A Child In Massive Surrogacy Nightmare

One Nevada woman’s decision to help a family grow has turned into a complicated legal and emotional battle that’s now drawing national attention. What began as an act of compassion has become part of a much larger investigation involving dozens of children, multiple states, and serious allegations about how some surrogacy arrangements are handled behind the scenes.

The Nevada mother at the center of the story, 30-year-old Tronderrica James, says she agreed to become a surrogate because she believed she was helping a couple who simply wanted the chance to have a child. Instead, she now claims she was pulled into a confusing and deeply troubling situation that she didn’t fully understand until much later.

According to court filings, James says she was first contacted through a Facebook surrogacy group by someone identifying herself as “Jasmine,” who claimed to represent intended parents living in Los Angeles. James says she was told the couple either had one child or none and could not communicate directly due to a language barrier. Based on that understanding, she agreed to move forward with the surrogacy, per NY Post.

Nevada Woman Engrossed In Surrogate Scandal

Later, authorities identified the intended parents as Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38. Investigators allege the couple operated two surrogacy agencies, Mark Surrogacy and Future Spring Surrogacy, which were used to recruit surrogate mothers across the country while allegedly concealing how many children were already involved in their surrogacy arrangements.

The situation gained widespread attention after police removed 21 children connected to the couple from properties in Arcadia, California. Investigators reported that 15 children under the age of three were living inside a nine-bedroom home, with others located nearby. The investigation reportedly began after a hospital raised concerns about a two-month-old infant who had suffered serious injuries that authorities later linked to a nanny.

Xuan and Zhang were arrested last May on suspicion of child abuse and neglect but were released on bond. No criminal charges have been filed, and child welfare agencies in multiple states continue to investigate the situation.

For James, the emotional toll appears to be significant. In an August 2025 email included in court records, she wrote directly to the intended parents, saying, “What you did is foul, reckless and cruel. Tell me the truth about what happened to the baby I carried — the baby you named Poppy.”

She’s Suing For Millions

Since the story became public, other surrogate mothers have reportedly come forward with similar concerns, saying they did not fully understand the scope of the couple’s surrogacy arrangements until late in the process or after giving birth. Some surrogates are now seeking custody of the children they carried, while the intended parents have filed civil lawsuits against certain surrogates who cut off communication before delivery.

James and her husband are seeking up to $100 million in damages, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Xuan and Zhang have denied wrongdoing in court filings. “Something is up,” one person commented on the story. “This is absolutely horrible,” said another. “So much fraud going on in today’s world,” a third person wrote.

The case is sparking new conversations about transparency and oversight in the surrogacy industry, particularly when arrangements cross state lines or involve international intended parents. For one Nevada family, what was supposed to be an act of generosity has instead become a legal fight that could take years to resolve and one that continues to raise difficult questions about trust, responsibility, and protection within modern surrogacy agreements.