A California pair, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, 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. The Los Angeles District Attorney, Nathan J Hochman, described the alleged abuse as "horrific" and "unprecedented." The couple, who ran their own surrogacy company, were arrested at their Arcadia mansion on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty at a Pasadena courthouse.
According to the criminal complaint, Xuan, 66, and Zhang, 39, are accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children living in their home to repeated physical abuse. The pair 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 that tracked 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, telling medical staff that the baby had fallen from a bed. Hospital staff informed law enforcement, and when police arrived at their home, they discovered three different rooms called "learning centres" under the supervision of multiple nannies. The mansion allegedly had 32 motion-activated cameras, which Hochman said were used by the couple to monitor the discipline given by the nannies.
Footage allegedly shows the nannies spanking, slapping, or hitting the children. One nanny, Chunmei Li, 58, is accused of hitting the two-month-old baby who suffered the head injury two days before he was brought to the hospital. Li was previously charged with one felony count of child abuse and was on the run with a $105,000 warrant for her arrest.
In July 2025, the couple's home was first raided by authorities, who took 21 children into state custody. The children ranged in age from two months to 13 years old, but most were between one and three years old. Fifteen of the children were taken from the couple's home, while six others were living elsewhere and also later taken into custody.
The couple's lawyer, Mitchell Krems, said the allegation was a "mischaracterisation" based on the evidence he has reviewed. Krems said his client Xuan was innocent and was being targeted for exercising his constitutional right to have a large family. If convicted as charged, Xuan faces a possible maximum sentence of 17 years and four months in state prison, while Zhang faces up to 11 years and eight months.
The case has sparked outrage, with Melissa Brisman, the attorney for two of the surrogates, saying that it was "wonderful news that people will be held responsible for their actions and there will be consequences if you abuse the surrogacy system." The investigation is ongoing, and authorities believe the surrogate mothers were from around the country and were unaware they were carrying embryos for the couple at the same time.
Key points
- The couple faces severe penalties if convicted, with Xuan facing up to 17 years and four months in state prison.
- The alleged abuse was described as "horrific" and "unprecedented" by the Los Angeles District Attorney.
- The couple's surrogacy company is under scrutiny, with authorities investigating how they recruited and managed surrogate mothers.
