A California couple was charged on Oct. 6 with conspiring to commit child abuse in connection with an alleged surrogacy scandal involving 21 children, according to local authorities.
Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested on Oct. 6 at their mansion in Arcadia, California. The couple faces charges of conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact, and dissuading a witness, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. Xuan also faces one count of child abuse.
Prosecutors alleged that the couple ran a surrogacy company and hired surrogates across the country by lying to them about why they wanted children through surrogacy. One surrogate alleged that she was told Zhang was having difficulty conceiving, Hochman said.
The children allegedly spent several hours a day in makeshift classrooms inside the mansion under the supervision of nannies whom the couple had encouraged to discipline the children.
Prosecutors alleged that more than 30 surveillance cameras were installed in the home and the children were subjected to daily beatings. In one instance, a nanny allegedly struck a child with a shoe while the couple laughed as they watched the footage.
“The number of children who were subjected to this alleged horrific abuse is unprecedented,” Hochman said in a statement. “This was not a home where these children were loved and nurtured. This was a home where these young children were systematically beaten and punished if they did not do what they were told.”
This is a developing news story and will be updated with additional details.
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