In brief
A California couple, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, were arrested after authorities uncovered evidence of repeated physical abuse of 14 surrogate‑born children at their Arcadia mansion. The pair, who run a surrogacy business, are accused of using motion‑activated cameras to record nannies striking the children, and of misleading surrogate mothers about the nature of the pregnancies. 21 children had already been removed from their care in the previous year, and law enforcement says the investigation began when an infant was presented to a hospital with a head injury. Xuan faces a maximum sentence of 17 years and 4 months; Zhang up to 11 years and 8 months; and nanny Chunmei Li up to 12 years.
A California couple was charged with repeated physical abuse of at least fourteen surrogate‑born children, some as young as two months old, after a hospital visit revealed a head injury on a baby that alarmed medical staff and triggered police involvement.
Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, operate a surrogacy company that allegedly deceived women by promising successful conceiving while secretly orchestrating abuse within their home.
Authorities discovered a sprawling Arcadia mansion with three rooms labeled “learning centres”, twenty‑two motion‑activated cameras, and footage that showed nannies physically disciplining the children. One nanny, Chunmei Li, is accused of striking a toddler who was later brought to the hospital.
After a raid in July last year took 21 children into state custody, the couple appeared before a Pasadena court where they pleaded not guilty. Their lawyer defends Xuan as innocent and claims the accusations are a mischaracterisation of his right to have a large family.
Consequences loom large: Xuan faces up to 17 years and 4 months, Zhang up to 11 years and 8 months, and Li up to 12 years if convicted. The case underscores the urgent need for tighter safeguards in the surrogacy industry, a sentiment echoed by attorneys representing surrogate mothers who fear similar exploitation.
