Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan, a couple in Arcadia, California with 21 children born through surrogacy arrangements, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation. Authorities discovered that the couple lied to surrogate mothers about their fertility issues and deceived them regarding the number of existing children. The investigation began after a two-month-old baby was hospitalized with head injuries caused by a nanny; Xuan and Zhang delayed seeking medical help for days. The district attorney alleges that the couple monitored the abuse through cameras in designated “learning rooms” and participated in abusive practices themselves, including striking children severely.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A Southern California couple who had 21 children, most of whom were birthed by different surrogate mothers, lied to the surrogates and then subjected the children to vicious beatings and punishments, authorities said.
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authorities → have → beatings
Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan were arrested Tuesday after authorities served a search warrant at their Arcadia mansion as part of a child abuse investigation.
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authorities → arrest → investigation
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation.
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They → charge → abuse
Xuan also faces one felony count of child abuse, one felony count of accessory after the fact, and five felony counts of dissuading a witness.
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Xuan → face → witness
Zhang also faces one count of accessory after the fact and four counts of dissuading a witness.
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Zhang → face → witness
“This house could only be described as a house of horrors for these incredibly young children,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a Tuesday news conference.
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Hochman → describe → conference
Authorities began investigating the couple last year after a 2-month-old child was brought to the hospital with head injuries.
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child → begin → injuries
Hochman, citing a criminal complaint, alleged that a nanny struck the baby in the head on May 4, 2025.
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nanny → cite → May
Xuan and Zhang did not seek medical attention until days later, he said, noting that the baby has since recovered.
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baby → seek → attention
During the investigation, authorities learned that Xuan and Zhang were running a surrogacy ring out of their home and hired surrogates throughout the country.
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Xuan → learn → country
Hochman said the couple often lied to the women about why they wanted children or how many children they already had.
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they → say → children
“One surrogate in particular … was paid for both a first and second surrogacy,” he said.
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he → pay → surrogacy
“She was told initially Zhang was a single mother struggling to conceive when she agreed to act as a surrogate.
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she → tell → surrogate
The woman was paid up to $75,000 per surrogacy, the district attorney said.
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attorney → pay → surrogacy
The couple failed to tell another woman who was 7 months pregnant that they already had 16 other children, he said.
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he → fail → children
“Another surrogate, they said they were seeking the miracle baby, and they paid that surrogate $135,000,” Hochman said.
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Hochman → say → 135,000
Over the years, the children were allegedly abused while Xuan and Zhang watched on 32 motion-activated cameras they set up around the home, Hochman said.
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Hochman → abuse → home
He described three rooms the couple called “learning rooms,” where the children would spend hours seated at desks under the supervision of various nannies.
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children → describe → nannies
“Each one of these defendants monitored the nannies’ discipline of the children that were happening in the three learning centers,” the district attorney said.
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attorney → monitor → centers
He said during one incident, a nanny had forced a child “to maintain a horse stance” and Xuan could be seen on video laughing.
“In another situation, defendant Xuan entered one of the learning centers while a nanny was striking a child, and instructed the nanny to strike the child harder,” he said.
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he → say → child
Hochman alleged that Xuan also beat a child across the child’s bare buttocks and struck the child’s head.
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Xuan → allege → head
“Defendant Xuan also lifted the child into the air by one arm, while continuing to strike him and repeatedly struck the child’s head from side to side with sufficient force that the child’s body lurched into alternating directions with the blows,” he told reporters.
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he → lift → reporters
He said the children were punished, physically abused and beaten “on a daily basis.”
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children → say → basis
One room in the home did not have cameras.
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room → have → cameras
Hochman said the children would be taken into the room and could be heard “screaming from inside.”
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children → say → inside
The couple is accused of trying to cover up the alleged abuse by instructing the children to lie, according to Hochman.
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couple → accuse → Hochman
During a meeting after the 2-month-old was taken to the hospital, the couple allegedly told the nannies not to leave visible marks on the children.
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couple → take → children
“This case is unprecedented,” Hochman said.
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Hochman → say → ?
“It is horrific, and the physical abuse, beating, and punishment that these very young children received is despicable.”
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children → receive → that
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said the children were subjected to “horrific abuse.”
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children → say → abuse
Fifteen children were removed from the home last year, and another six were found to be in the care of family and friends.
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six → remove → family
Xuan and Zhang are expected to be arraigned Tuesday.
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Xuan → expect → ?
Prosecutors are seeking $100 million bail.
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Prosecutors → seek → bail
An arrest warrant was previously issued for one of the nannies seen on video violently shaking the 2-month-old baby.
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warrant → issue → baby
The nanny has not been arrested.
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nanny → arrest → ?
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