California Couple Charged in Child Abuse Probe Involving 21 Children Born Mostly Through Surrogacy

Guojun Xuan, 66, and his wife, Silvia Zhang, 39, face criminal charges in California after prosecutors alleged that surveillance cameras inside their Arcadia mansion recorded repeated beatings of children in their care. According to court filings, some children were reportedly struck more than 150 times in incidents captured on footage reviewed by investigators.

Prosecutors further allege that Xuan instructed a nanny to hit a child harder and personally joined in an assault. The couple are also accused of helping a nanny evade arrest and attempting to conceal the alleged mistreatment.

The case involves 21 children, 19 of whom were reportedly born through surrogacy. Xuan and Zhang have pleaded not guilty, and their lawyers dispute the allegations. The investigation has also drawn scrutiny over earlier child welfare referrals and the couple's surrogacy business.

CCTV Footage Forms Part of Abuse Investigation

The investigation began in May 2025 after a hospital reported that a two-month-old infant had suffered a serious head injury. Prosecutors linked the incident to nanny Chunmei Li, who was accused of beating the child so severely that he suffered a brain bleed.

Investigators recovered 10 days of surveillance footage recorded between 27 April and 7 May 2025, according to a prosecution motion reported by the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors said the recordings showed children being repeatedly struck, with some allegedly hit more than 150 times.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the footage showed Xuan directing a nanny to hit a child harder and, in another incident, joining in an assault. Prosecutors also allege that the couple helped Li avoid arrest after she fled the United States. She reportedly travelled through Mexico before reaching China.

Xuan's lawyer, Mitchell Krems, denied that his client physically abused any children. He blamed the alleged mistreatment on the nannies and said Xuan had dismissed the worker involved in the infant's injuries.

Earlier Referrals Raised Questions About Safeguards

Xuan established Mark Surrogacy Investments in 2021, with the Arcadia mansion listed as its headquarters in business records cited by the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors allege that women recruited as surrogates were misled about the couple's circumstances and intentions.

At least eight women reportedly said they received misleading or incomplete information. Krems denied that the couple had deceived surrogates.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles County child welfare authorities received seven referrals involving Xuan or Zhang between 2019 and 2025. The children were removed from the couple's care in 2025 after the investigation began.

Zhang had previously faced an allegation in 2019 after allegedly leaving her eight-year-old daughter in a hot car. According to the newspaper, she entered a diversionary agreement, completed its terms in 2023 and had the case dismissed. The records are sealed.

FBI Examines Financial Activity

The FBI is investigating potential surrogacy fraud and money laundering, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited court filings and law enforcement sources. The federal inquiry remains ongoing, and no findings of criminal wrongdoing have been established in that investigation.

During a bail hearing, Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri told the court that the couple had more than 200 personal bank accounts and 70 corporate accounts, with annual transfers of about $250 million (about £188 million). Prosecutors cited the couple's financial resources and potential flight risk when seeking high bail.

On 16 October, a judge ordered Xuan and Zhang held in lieu of $20 million (about £15 million) bail each after their lawyers sought their release. Both continue to deny wrongdoing as the criminal proceedings move forward.