In brief
In a shocking case, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang have been charged with the abuse of at least fourteen surrogate‑born children ranging from two months to 13 years old. The duo ran a surrogacy company that allegedly misled mothers and used surveillance to monitor harsh discipline carried out by nannies. Police uncovered 32 motion‑activated cameras in the property and footage that shows spankings and slaps. While Xuan and Zhang plead not guilty, prosecutors warn the case highlights wider concerns about child safety in privately run surrogacy arrangements.
California Couple Arrested in Alleged Abuse of Surrogate‑Born Children
Authorities have charged 66‑year‑old Guojun Xuan and 39‑year‑old Silvia Zhang with physical abuse of at least fourteen minors living in their Arcadia, California mansion, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The allegations stem from a series of incidents that began when a two‑month‑old infant was brought to a hospital with a head injury; medical staff were told it was the result of a fall from a bed.
Xuan and Zhang operated a private surrogacy firm and reportedly deceived at least two women by claiming Zhang could not bear children. In May 2025, investigators learned that Zhang maintained a spreadsheet that documented twenty‑one children, including those born via the aforementioned surrogacies.
During the latest police raid, officers discovered three rooms labeled “learning centres” under the watch of multiple nannies. The police also found thirty‑two motion‑activated cameras – a setup prosecutors described as a “house of horrors” – that allegedly filmed instances of spankings, slaps and other forms of sharp discipline.
One of the nannies, Chunmei Li, 58, is accused of striking the infant who was hospitalised with a head injury. Li had previously been charged with felony‑level child abuse and has a $105,000 warrant for her arrest. She was reportedly dismissed by the couple after the incident.
The initial raid in July 2025 saw 21 children, ranging from two months to thirteen years old, taken into state custody. The children were mostly between ages one and three, according to the Arcadia Police Department. The child count increased after six more children were secured from outside the house.
Xuan and Zhang’ve pleaded not guilty, and their attorney, Mitchell Krems, characterized the accusations as a mischaracterisation. “He is being targeted for exercising his constitutional right to have a large family,” Krems told CBS News Los Angeles. He also defended Li’s conduct and called her “acted professionally.”
If found guilty, prosecutors say Xuan could face up to seventeen years and four months in California state prison, while Zhang could be jailed for up to eleven years and eight months. Li faces a potential sentence of up to twelve years.
Surrogates involved in the case have expressed shock at how their motherhood journey was misused, with attorney Melissa Brisman appealing for robust oversight of privately run surrogacy firms. “The family system we built should not become a platform for abuse,” Brisman said. The case may prompt new regulations in the state’s burgeoning surrogacy market.
