California couple arrested on charges of abusing surrogate-born children

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced that Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang have been charged with multiple counts of abusing at least 14 children born via surrogacy, some as young as two months, and with attempting to influence a witness. The pair were taken into custody at their Arcadia mansion on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, the couple conspired to subject 15 of the 16 children living in their home to repeated physical abuse. The investigation began after Zhang brought a two-month-old boy to a hospital with a head injury, claiming the child had fallen from a bed. Hospital staff alerted law enforcement, leading police to discover three rooms labeled “learning centres” overseen by several nannies.

One nanny, Chunmei Li, 58, is accused of striking the infant who later suffered the head injury. Li had previously faced a felony child-abuse charge and was subject to a $105,000 warrant.

Authorities say the mansion was equipped with 32 motion-activated cameras, which prosecutors say were used to monitor the nannies’ discipline. In July 2025, a raid resulted in 21 children being placed in state custody; the children ranged from two months to 13 years old, with most between one and three years old.

The couple operated their own surrogacy company and are accused of providing false statements to at least two surrogate mothers, suggesting Zhang was having difficulty conceiving. Their attorney, Mitchell Krems, described the allegations as a mischaracterisation based on the evidence he has reviewed.

"He is being targeted for exercising his constitutional right to have a large family," the lawyer told CBS News.

Investigators also indicated that surrogate mothers from across the country were unaware they were carrying embryos for the couple simultaneously.