Arcadia surrogacy scandal: California couple arrested on child abuse charges
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse after 21 surrogate-born children were removed from their Arcadia mansion.
Arcadia couple charged after 21 children removed from mansion
A California couple at the centre of a high-profile surrogacy scandal were arrested on Tuesday morning, cbsnews.com reports, as Los Angeles officials held a news conference to announce the latest developments in the case.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang face multiple charges including conspiracy to commit child abuse and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced. Hochman is seeking bail of $100 million for the pair.
Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took the couple into custody at their Arcadia residence. They were subsequently transferred to the Pasadena courthouse for arraignment, Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed.
"What has been publicly filed in the complaint today is incredibly disturbing. It involves horrific punishment and beatings and child abuse," Hochman said at the news conference.
The case drew national attention after authorities raided the couple's Arcadia mansion in July 2025 and placed 21 children — most of them surrogate-born — into state custody.
The investigation began in May 2025 when Zhang brought a two-month-old boy to hospital with a head injury. "She appeared to be untruthful with hospital staff about how the injury was sustained and the hospital staff notified law enforcement authorities," Luna said. He added that when Arcadia police visited the home, "what they discovered raised even more serious concerns."
In early September, the Arcadia Police Department requested assistance from the LA County Sheriff's Department. The Los Angeles FBI also confirmed it served a separate search warrant at the property on Tuesday, alongside the operation conducted by the sheriff's department.
A neighbour reported that helicopters and police were visible at the mansion, with the entire block cordoned off.
"We will continue to work together to pursue justice for all 21 children involved in this case," Luna said.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)