California Couple Charged With Abusing 14 Surrogate-Born Children in $10M Los Angeles Mansion

A California couple is facing serious felony allegations after authorities accused them of abusing at least 14 children born through surrogacy at their multimillion-dollar mansion in Arcadia. Some of the children were reportedly only two months old.

Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, have each been charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse. Xuan additionally faces felony counts of child abuse, being an accessory after the fact and five counts of attempting to dissuade a witness. Zhang is also charged with being an accessory after the fact and four counts of dissuading a witness. Both defendants have entered not-guilty pleas.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the case unprecedented, saying the alleged abuse involved an extraordinary number of children. He described the reported corporal punishment as “appalling and revolting,” particularly because it was allegedly carried out by people entrusted with the children’s care.

The investigation began in May 2025 after Zhang took her two-month-old baby to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with a traumatic head injury and significant bleeding in the brain, according to affiliate FOX 11 Los Angeles. Doctors concluded that the infant had allegedly been shaken violently and struck by a nanny identified as Chunmei Li.

Prosecutors say Xuan and Zhang waited roughly two days before seeking emergency care, doing so only after the baby began suffering seizures. The couple allegedly told medical personnel that the child had fallen from a bed, a claim investigators say was false.

Police reviewing surveillance video from the couple’s estimated $10 million residence allegedly uncovered evidence of ongoing abuse involving 14 surrogate-born children. The children ranged in age from two months to 13 years, although most were between one and three years old.

Authorities later found six other children connected to the couple living at separate residences, bringing the total number of children involved in the investigation to 21.

Investigators said the mansion contained three so-called “learning centers,” where toddlers were allegedly made to remain seated at desks for extended periods. Nannies were reportedly told to use forms of punishment intended to avoid leaving obvious injuries.

FOX 11 reported that prosecutors accuse Xuan and Zhang of supervising and directing nannies who allegedly beat the children every day with sticks kept around the property. The children were also allegedly instructed to say they had not been beaten.

In one alleged incident, Xuan reportedly told a nanny who was hitting a child to strike harder before taking part in the assault. Prosecutors say he slapped the child’s head, hit the child’s exposed buttocks and lifted the child by one arm while continuing to strike. In another case, a boy was allegedly ordered to perform repeated squats or remain in a “horse stance” for hours as punishment.

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The couple also ran Future Spring Surrogacy from the Arcadia property, recruiting women to serve as surrogates and paying tens of thousands of dollars for pregnancies. One surrogate was paid $135,000, while prosecutors allege that others were recruited through deceptive or misleading representations.

At least eight surrogates told investigators they had encountered aggressive behavior and been given false information about the family’s living arrangements.

Authorities said the home also contained signs of significant wealth, including more than 200 bank accounts allegedly controlled by Xuan, large amounts of cash used to pay nannies and passports from several countries, including Mexico.

Investigators additionally reported finding liquor worth an estimated $8 million to $9 million inside the residence.

Officials are still working to identify the biological and social parents of all 21 children. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has placed the children in its care while arranging ongoing medical treatment, psychological assessments and permanent legal placements.

Hochman said the residence did not provide the children with the care and affection they deserved. Instead, he alleged, the children were systematically beaten and punished whenever they failed to follow orders. He added that prosecutors would pursue accountability against the couple for what he called despicable conduct.

Nanny Chunmei Li is charged with child abuse causing great bodily injury or death; authorities said she has since fled to China.

Beyond the child abuse allegations, law enforcement is probing Xuan’s past, including his connection to a property previously linked to an illegal casino and a psilocybin mushroom growing operation.

News Media reached out to attorneys for Xuan and Zhang for comment. It remains unclear how long the alleged abuse had been occurring prior to May 2025.