California couple with 21 surrogate children arrested for child abuse in 'house of horrors'

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang face multiple child abuse charges after prosecutors alleged their Arcadia mansion was a 'house of horrors' for 21 children.

California couple charged with abusing 21 children in alleged surrogacy scheme

A wealthy Chinese immigrant couple have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of child abuse after prosecutors alleged they amassed 21 children through a surrogacy operation and subjected them to systematic beatings inside their sprawling Arcadia mansion, AP News reports.

Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were taken into custody at their home in Arcadia, a city approximately 20 kilometres northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Both pleaded not guilty during an afternoon court appearance in Pasadena on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, with the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter.

"This case is unprecedented. It is horrific," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a morning news conference. "The physical abuse, beating and punishment that these very young children received is despicable."

Surrogacy agency and alleged deception

Prosecutors allege the couple operated a business called Mark Surrogacy from their home, which they used to recruit women across the United States to serve as surrogates. According to Hochman, the women were misled — some were told the couple could not conceive naturally, others that they had only one child and wished to have one more.

Police believe Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children herself, while the remainder were carried and delivered by surrogates. The children ranged in age from two months to 13 years, with most between one and three years old.

Fifteen children were removed from the home in 2025 following an allegation of abuse; a further six living elsewhere were subsequently located.

Daily beatings monitored via surveillance cameras

The couple allegedly installed an extensive surveillance system throughout the property, including motion-activated cameras. Hochman said Xuan and Zhang watched — and at times laughed — as nannies physically abused the children on a daily basis.

In one piece of surveillance footage, Xuan is seen entering a room and instructing a nanny to strike a child harder. In another clip, he is shown joining the nanny in hitting the child, according to Hochman.

Three rooms inside the home, referred to internally as "learning centres," were set up for the children, who spent several hours a day seated at desks under nanny supervision. The nannies were allegedly instructed not to leave visible marks on the children.

The investigation was triggered in May 2025 after a hospital reported that the couple's two-month-old infant had suffered a traumatic head injury, consistent with violent shaking. Police did not file charges at that point, citing the need to complete their investigation.

Following the removal of the children into state custody, the couple were granted supervised visits. During one such visit, Zhang reportedly read to a child and wrote inside a book: "Tell them you're happy with me, tell them you want to come home," according to lead prosecutor Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri.

A warrant was issued for nanny Chunmei Li, who was seen in surveillance footage hurting the infant. She subsequently fled to Tijuana, Mexico, and then to China.

$100 million bail requested; $20 million set

Prosecutors sought bail of $100 million per person, citing the gravity of the charges and the couple's status as flight risks. The couple hold US, Mexican and Chinese passports, though investigators have not confirmed whether all documents are legitimate. Prosecutors allege fake passports were used to establish some of the couple's bank accounts.

The pair hold more than 200 personal and 70 corporate bank accounts, with annual transfers totalling $250 million, Teymouri said. Inside the home, investigators found a bank statement showing more than $70 million in a single account, along with assets including antique sculptures and specialty alcohol valued at nearly $10 million.

LA County Superior Court Judge Kerry White ultimately set bail at $20 million each, with home detention and a protective order barring contact with the children.

The couple's attorney, Mitchell Krems, described the bail amount as "absurd" relative to the nature of the charges. He also noted that Zhang, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, is battling a rare form of leukaemia and is recovering from a bone marrow transplant.

Krems denied that Xuan participated in any physical abuse, attributing all mistreatment to the nannies. "My client, Mr. Xuan, intervened swiftly," Krems said. "He fired the nanny, excised her from the house."

Following the hearing, Krems stated that Xuan and Zhang had immigrated from China specifically to exercise their freedom, including the freedom to have as many children as they wished. He had previously told broadcaster ABC7 that Xuan's stated aim was to raise children who become productive members of society.

Hochman said the couple's motivation, as well as the confirmed parentage of each child, remain part of the ongoing investigation.

The couple face charges including child abuse, conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact, and dissuading a witness.

Source: Google News MT