California couple with 21 children, most born to surrogates, charged in ‘house of horrors’ abuse case

A Southern California couple who had 21 children, most of whom were born to different surrogates, lied to the surrogates and then subjected the children to beatings and violent punishment, authorities said.

Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan were arrested Tuesday after authorities executed a search warrant at their Arcadia mansion as part of a child abuse investigation. They were charged with conspiracy to commit child abuse and witnessing intimidation.

Xuan also faces one count of child abuse, one count of accessory after the fact and five counts of dissuading a witness. Zhang also faces one count of accessory after the fact and four counts of dissuading a witness.

In court Tuesday afternoon, they pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations.

“This house can only be described as a house of horrors for these incredibly young children,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference Tuesday.

Authorities began investigating the couple last year after a 2-month-old child was taken to the hospital with head injuries. Hochman, citing a criminal complaint, alleged that a nanny hit the baby in the head on May 4, 2025.

Xuan and Zhang did not seek medical attention until a few days later, he said, noting that the baby had since recovered.

During the investigation, authorities learned that Xuan and Zhang ran a surrogacy network from their home and hired surrogate mothers throughout the country.

Hochman said the couple often lied to women about why they wanted children or how many children they already had.

“One particular surrogate … was paid for a first and second surrogacy,” he said. “She was initially told that Zhang was a single mother who was having difficulty conceiving when she agreed to act as a surrogate. This was a false statement.”

The woman received up to $75,000 per surrogacy, the prosecutor said.

The couple did not tell another woman who was seven months pregnant that they already had 16 children, he said.

“Another surrogate, they said they were looking for the miracle baby, and they paid this surrogate $135,000,” Hochman said.

Over the years, the children were allegedly abused while Xuan and Zhang watched the 32 motion-activated cameras they had installed around the home, Hochman said.

He described three rooms the couple called “learning rooms,” where children spent hours sitting at desks under the supervision of various nannies.

“Each of these defendants monitored the nannies’ discipline of the children that took place at the three learning centers,” the prosecutor said.

He said that during one incident, a nanny forced a child “to maintain a horse position” and Xuan could be seen laughing on video.

“In another situation, the accused Xuan entered one of the learning centers while a nanny was hitting a child and ordered the nanny to hit the child harder,” he explained.

Hochman alleged that Xuan also hit a child on the bare buttocks and hit his head.

“Defendant Xuan also lifted the child into the air with one arm, while continuing to hit him, and repeatedly hit the child’s head from side to side with sufficient force that the child’s body rocked in alternating directions with the blows,” he told reporters.

He said children were punished, physically abused and beaten “daily”.

One room in the house was not equipped with cameras. Hochman said the children would be taken into the room and could be heard “screaming from inside.”

The couple is accused of trying to cover up the alleged abuse by ordering the children to lie, according to Hochman. In a meeting after the 2-month-old was taken to hospital, the couple reportedly told the nannies not to leave visible marks on the children.

“This case is unprecedented,” Hochman said. “It is horrific, and the physical abuse, beatings and punishments these very young children received are despicable. »

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said the children were subjected to “horrific abuse.”

All 21 children are now in state custody.

Prosecutors requested bail of $100 million per person because of the seriousness of the charges and because authorities said both men were flight risks.

The judge set bail at $20 million each, with house arrest and an order protecting them from any visits to their children.

A bail review hearing has been set for Monday.

An arrest warrant had already been issued for one of the nannies seen on the video violently shaking the 2-month-old baby. The nanny was not arrested.