California couple charged with abusing surrogate-born children

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang were arrested at their Arcadia mansion on Tuesday. A California couple has been charged with multiple counts of abusing at least 14 surrogate-born children, some as young as two months old, and dissuading a witness. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J Hochman stated, "The number of children who were subjected to this alleged horrific abuse is unprecedented." Xuan, 66, and Zhang, 39, pleaded not guilty at a Pasadena courthouse, according to CBS News. They are accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children living in their home to repeated physical abuse, after 21 children were removed from their custody last year. The couple operated a surrogacy company and allegedly made false statements to at least two women who became surrogates, indicating that Zhang was struggling to conceive. As of May 2025, Zhang maintained a spreadsheet tracking 21 children, including those born to surrogates. The investigation began in May 2025 when Zhang brought a two-month-old boy to the hospital with a head injury, claiming the baby had fallen from a bed. Hospital staff informed law enforcement, leading to a police investigation at their home, where three rooms labeled "learning centres" were found under the supervision of multiple nannies. Hochman described the environment as a "house of horrors." The mansion reportedly had 32 motion-activated cameras used by the couple to monitor the discipline administered by the nannies. Allegedly, footage shows nannies spanking, slapping, or hitting the children. One nanny, Chunmei Li, is accused of hitting the two-month-old baby who suffered the head injury two days prior to being taken to the hospital. Li, 58, was charged with one felony count of child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death and is currently wanted with a $105,000 warrant for her arrest. In July 2025, authorities raided the couple's home and took 21 children into state custody. The Arcadia Police Department reported that the children ranged in age from two months to 13 years old, with most being between one and three years old. Fifteen of the children were taken from the couple's home, while six others living elsewhere were also later taken into custody. The couple's lawyer, Mitchell Krems, stated, "He is being targeted for exercising his constitutional right to have a large family." Investigators believe the surrogate mothers were from around the country and were unaware they were carrying embryos for the couple simultaneously. Melissa Brisman, the attorney for two of the surrogates, commented, "This is wonderful news that people will be held responsible for their actions and there will be consequences if you abuse the surrogacy system." If convicted, Xuan faces a 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.