NewzLOS ANGELES (AP) A California couple has been arrested on child abuse charges following an investigation into a surrogacy scheme involving at least 21 children ranging in age from a few months to 13 years, authorities said Tuesday.Guojun Xuan, 66, and his wife, Silvia Zhang, 39, face several counts of child abuse, as well as conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact, and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.This case is unprecedented. It is horrific, Hochman said during a news conference Tuesday morning. The physical abuse, beating and punishment that these very young children received is despicable.Prosecutors are seeking $100 million bail for the couple because of the serious nature of the charges and because they are flight risks, Hochman said.
They were scheduled to be arraigned at the Pasadena courthouse later Tuesday.Fifteen children were removed from the couples opulent home in Arcadia last year after an allegation of abuse, and another six living elsewhere were also located. They ranged in age from 2 months to 13 years, with most between 1 and 3. Police believe Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children while the rest were carried and delivered by surrogates.Hochman said the couple set up a surrogacy agency that they operated from their home and used that agency to hire surrogates throughout the U.S.The house could only be described as a house of horrors for these incredible young children, Hochman said.Prosecutor says videos show nannies and Xuan abusing childrenZhang and Xuan were first arrested in May 2025 after a hospital reported that their 2-month-old infant had a traumatic head injury, the result of a nanny at the home violently shaking the baby, according to Arcadia police.Arcadia police did not file charges at the time, saying they needed to complete the investigation.Hochman said the couple set up three rooms they called learning centers, where the children spent several hours a day sitting at desks under the supervision of nannies.Through an extensive surveillance system including motion-activated cameras, the couple watched as the nannies subjected the children to physical abuse including daily beatings, he said.In one video, Xuan enters one of the rooms and tells a nanny to strike a child harder, and in another he joins the nanny in hitting the child, Hochman said.He said th…
Silvia Zhang and Gunjun Xuan, the Arcadia couple at the center of a surrogacy scandal, have been arrested on multiple charges.
Summary from source