'Learning Centers' of Horror: Arcadia Surrogacy Couple Charged After 21 Kids Found Abused, Held on $20 Million Bail Each
Prosecutors say Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang ran a surrogacy operation that produced most of the 21 children allegedly beaten by nannies inside their mansion while cameras watched.
A Southern California couple at the center of what prosecutors are calling a "horrific" child abuse case were arrested and arraigned Tuesday on charges including conspiracy to commit child abuse and dissuading a witness, after authorities say they presided over the systematic beating of children born largely through surrogacy.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, both held on $20 million bail each, pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to CBS News' report on the arrests. Twenty-one children, most born via surrogates, have been placed in the custody of Los Angeles County's child welfare agency.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman did not mince words describing the allegations. "What has been publicly filed in the complaint today is incredibly disturbing," he said. "It involves horrific punishment and beatings and child abuse."
How the Case Unraveled
The investigation began in May 2025, when Zhang brought a two-month-old infant with a head injury to a hospital, raising red flags that led authorities to raid the couple's Arcadia mansion that July, according to NBC News' account of the case timeline. Investigators allege the children were confined for hours at a time inside three in-home "Learning Centers" overseen by nannies, with motion-activated cameras installed to monitor discipline.
IT INVOLVES HORRIFIC PUNISHMENT AND BEATINGS AND CHILD ABUSE.
Footage reviewed by investigators allegedly shows nannies spanking, slapping and hitting children in their care. One nanny, identified by authorities as Chunmei Li, is accused of striking the two-month-old who was later hospitalized. Li now faces a $105,000 arrest warrant and remains at large, according to 6abc's coverage of the arraignment.
Defense attorney Mitchell Krems, representing one of the defendants, pushed back on the allegations. "My client is innocent," he said. "It is the nanny's wrongdoing who went on the run."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which took over the case from Arcadia police last month, says the investigation remains active and is working with the FBI as it works through evidence gathered from the home. All 21 children remain under state protective custody as the case moves forward; a future court date has not yet been set.