California couple arrested in investigation involving at least 21 children

A California couple has been arrested on child-abuse charges following an investigation into a surrogacy operation involving at least 21 children, Los Angeles County authorities said Tuesday. Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, face several counts of child abuse, as well as charges alleging conspiracy to commit child abuse, acting as an accessory after the fact and attempting to dissuade a witness. Prosecutors are seeking $100 million bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations and what they described as a flight risk.

Fifteen children were removed from the couple’s home in Arcadia last year after an abuse allegation. Authorities later located six more children living elsewhere. The children ranged from two months to 13 years old, with most between one and three, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Investigators believe Zhang gave birth to one or two of the children and that surrogates carried the others. Prosecutors say the couple operated a surrogacy agency from their home and recruited surrogates across the United States. At least eight women have reportedly told investigators they were aggressively approached and received misleading or incomplete information about the couple’s household and intentions.

Hochman described the home as a place where young children endured physical punishment. He said the couple created three rooms called learning centres, where children sat at desks for hours under nannies’ supervision. A surveillance system with motion-activated cameras allegedly recorded nannies beating children, prosecutors said.

According to Hochman, one video shows Xuan directing a nanny to hit a child harder, while another allegedly shows him joining in. He said nannies were told not to leave marks and that the children were instructed to deny being beaten when police visited in May 2025. The investigation began after a hospital reported that a two-month-old infant had suffered a traumatic head injury, which Arcadia police attributed to a nanny violently shaking the baby.

Police did not file charges at that time, saying the investigation remained incomplete. Authorities later issued a warrant for Chunmei Li, the nanny identified in connection with the incident, but she has not been found. The couple was scheduled to be arraigned at a Pasadena courthouse.

Xuan’s lawyer previously said his client wanted to raise children who would become productive adults, but the lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the arrests. Investigators are still examining the parentage of the children, the couple’s motives and whether surrogates were misled. Surrogacy rules vary by state, and California has detailed requirements including legal representation and a written notarised contract.