California Couple Charged with Abusing 14 Surrogate-Born Children
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang face multiple felony counts, including child abuse and dissuading a witness, after authorities discovered alleged mistreatment of children in their Arcadia mansion.
A couple in California has been charged with multiple counts of abusing at least 14 children born via surrogacy and dissuading a witness. Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested at their Arcadia mansion, according to reports. The pair pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that the number of children subjected to the alleged abuse is unprecedented. Xuan and Zhang are accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children residing in their home to repeated physical abuse. This follows an incident last year when 21 children were removed from their custody.
Authorities began investigating in May 2025 after Zhang brought a two-month-old boy to a hospital with a head injury, claiming he had fallen from a bed. Hospital staff alerted law enforcement. Upon arrival at the residence, police discovered three rooms described as "learning centers" supervised by multiple nannies. Hochman characterized the scene as a "house of horrors."
The mansion was reportedly equipped with 32 motion-activated cameras, which Hochman said the couple used to monitor discipline administered by the nannies. Footage allegedly shows nannies spanking, slapping, or hitting the children. One nanny, Chunmei Li, 58, is accused of hitting the two-month-old baby who sustained the head injury.
Li has been charged with one felony count of child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. A warrant for her arrest has been issued, and she is reportedly on the run. The couple's attorney, Mitchell Krems, has called the allegations a "mischaracterization" of the evidence.
In July 2025, authorities raided the couple's home and took 21 children into state custody. At the time of the initial raid, the children ranged in age from two months to 13 years old, with most between one and three. Fifteen children were removed from the home, while six others living elsewhere were also taken into custody.
The couple allegedly ran their own surrogacy company. The criminal complaint states they are accused of making false statements to at least two surrogate mothers, claiming Zhang was struggling to conceive. Investigators believe the surrogate mothers were located across the country and were unaware that embryos were being implanted for the couple concurrently. Melissa Brisman, an attorney for two of the surrogates, expressed satisfaction that individuals would be held accountable for abusing the surrogacy system.
If convicted, Xuan faces a potential maximum sentence of 17 years and four months in state prison, while Zhang faces up to 11 years and eight months. Li faces up to 12 years.