On Tuesday, October 6th, prosecutors in the Los Angeles area announced the formal arrest of Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang, also known as Silvia Shasha Zhang (“Guojun Xuan” and “Silvia Shasha Zhang” are hereinafter referred to by their English names). The two are facing serious charges of large-scale surrogacy and child abuse, with shocking evidence of child abuse revealed.
This case, unfolding in the affluent Chinese community of Arcadia in Southern California, has been described by Los Angeles County Prosecutor Nathan Hochman as an “unprecedented child abuse case.” Hochman emphasized that the disturbing details involving appalling punishments, beatings, and mistreatment of children are of grave concern and may contain unsettling content.
Hochman detailed that the defendants had established a “house of horrors” specifically targeting the extremely young children in a 10,287-square-foot mansion in Arcadia. These children were brought to the house through surrogacy arrangements. The residence was equipped with over thirty surveillance cameras to monitor the children and nannies, with at least 15 children repeatedly subjected to physical abuse.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang are facing multiple charges including conspiring to abuse children and obstructing witness testimony. Due to their flight risk and the nature and seriousness of the charges, the recommended bail for both defendants was set at $100 million each.
On Tuesday, Guojun Xuan, 67, and Silvia Shasha Zhang, 39, were arrested at their residence, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Guojun Xuan’s home. According to City News Service (CNS), when they appeared in court that afternoon, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently in custody, with a judge ultimately setting bail at $20 million each.
Guojun Xuan was identified as an active pro-Communist Chinese leader and the president of the Xinjiang Chamber of Commerce. The following are details of the alleged large-scale surrogacy and child abuse revealed by the prosecutor.
According to the criminal complaint, the relevant charges date back as early as April 2021, with the two starting to recruit surrogate mothers nationwide through a surrogacy agency from 2022 onwards. The scheme was not exposed until May 2025.
On May 7th last year, the Arcadia Police Department received a report from a local hospital regarding a suspected child abuse incident: a two-month-old baby was rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury resulting in intracranial bleeding.
Immediately following the police report, an investigation was launched, leading to a search of the mansion. Surveillance footage revealed that the baby lost consciousness due to severe shaking and beating by the nanny, Chunmei Li. Despite Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang, the legal guardians, being aware of the situation, they failed to seek timely medical attention for the child. It was not until two days later when the child suffered a seizure that they finally brought him to the hospital.
The shocking case of child abuse came to light when it was discovered that Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang were harboring 21 infants in a mansion worth approximately $4 million. These children were born to different surrogate mothers, but legal guardianship was held solely by the pair.
The prosecutor emphasized that the case is still at the stage of allegations, with the detailed information based on the complaint and disclosures provided by Prosecutor Hochman. It’s important to note that all the content mentioned are accusations and not concrete evidence, which will be presented in the courtroom.
In 2021, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang established a surrogacy agency called “Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC,” operating the business from their Arcadia mansion.
Starting from 2022, the two utilized the surrogacy agency to hire surrogate mothers across the country, allegedly multiple times concealing their true family situation. For instance,
– a surrogate mother identified as “M.C.” was engaged twice in 2022 and 2023 to carry children for them, each time receiving up to $75,000. During the first surrogacy, the surrogate was informed that Silvia Shasha Zhang was a “single mother striving to conceive.” However, court documents revealed this to be a false statement. Only during the second surrogacy was “M.C.” informed that Silvia Shasha Zhang was, in fact, married to Guojun Xuan, but their relationship could not be made public.
– In January 2024, another surrogate mother, “K.E.,” was paid $45,000 to assist with surrogacy. Initially, she was told that the couple only had a 10-year-old daughter, when in reality, they already had 16 children.
– In February 2024, through the agency, they paid $65,000 to recruit another surrogate mother, “H.H.”, falsely claiming that they had only one daughter.
– In 2024, the surrogacy agency recruited another surrogate mother, “T.J.,” offering to pay $135,000, stating that the couple desperately wanted a baby.
The prosecutor stated that at the time of the exposure in May 2025, 14 children born through surrogacy were residing in the Arcadia mansion, ranging in age from two months to 4-5 years old; there were two additional children in the house. Five children were linked to the defendants, making the case involve at least 21 children.
The complaint detailed that the defendants established three separate rooms in the house called “learning centers.” Under the supervision of different nannies, these infants and toddlers were made to sit at desks for hours daily. They maintained a log detailing each child’s full name, date of birth, and which surrogate mother gave birth to them.
The prosecutor revealed that the defendants had set up a monitoring system in the mansion comprising 32 motion-triggered cameras to record images and sounds from various rooms. Additionally, a large screen was installed in a room displaying real-time footage from the 32 cameras throughout the residence.
According to the charges, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Shasha Zhang monitored nannies disciplining the children in the three “learning centers.” However, the so-called discipline involved severe physical abuse, beatings, and punishment occurring daily.
One specific room in the mansion lacked cameras. Nannies implicated in the conspiracy were captured on the surveillance footage carrying children into this room, followed by the sound of children screaming.
The complaint then listed specific instances of physical abuse on children by the defendants in April and May 2025.
– One implicated nanny instructed a child to maintain a “horse stance,” which was captured on camera. Guojun Xuan even laughed while watching this punishment.
– On a day in April 2025, Guojun Xuan entered one of the “learning centers” while a nanny was beating a child, directing the nanny to strike harder.
– That same day, Guojun Xuan joined in the beating, repeatedly striking the child’s exposed buttocks and hitting the child’s head with his palm. He lifted the child to beat them and shook them violently from side to side.
Evidence revealed Guojun Xuan took stacks of cash from his office and had Silvia Shasha Zhang use these funds to pay the nannies residing in the house.
The breaking point of the case was the severe head injury suffered by a two-month-old child on May 4, 2025, which Guojun Xuan was aware of through the surveillance screen. However, two days passed before the child was taken to the hospital.
According to the charges, on May 5th, the defendants and the nannies held a meeting to discuss how to physically discipline the children. Guojun Xuan specifically instructed that the nannies should not leave any marks on the children.
On May 6th, when the child was taken to the hospital, Silvia Shasha Zhang claimed to medical personnel that the child was injured from falling off the bed. However, the accusation states that the child was actually beaten by the nanny, Chunmei Li.
On May 7th, the police searched the defendants’ mansion. Prior to the police’s arrival, the defendants strictly instructed the nannies not to admit to hitting the children. Silvia Shasha Zhang ordered a nanny to put away the stick used for beating the children and warned the children in the “learning centers” not to disclose any abuse.
Kollin Cieadlo, Captain of the Arcadia Police Department, revealed to reporters from Epoch Times last year, “We noticed that most of the children had the same short hairstyle and were dressed very similarly. Regardless of being boys or girls, they all looked very alike.”
Many individuals and organizations online have raised concerns about the behavior of this Chinese “couple,” suspecting human trafficking and child trafficking. Cieadlo mentioned, “The father told us they simply wanted a large family and wanted to have many, many children.”
Guojun Xuan’s lawyer released a statement asserting, “My client did not commit any form of abuse. He was merely exercising his freedom to have a large family but is now facing unjust punishment for it. Due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese (Communist) government, he could not fulfill this desire.”
However, as per the latest indictment and charges disclosed by the prosecution, Hochman stated on Tuesday that, “This case is unprecedented and horrifying. The physical abuse, beatings, and punishments these young children endured are hair-raising.”
The case is still in the stage of prosecution and investigation. If convicted, Guojun Xuan could face a maximum sentence of 17 years and 4 months in state prison, while Silvia Shasha Zhang could be sentenced to a maximum of 11 years and 8 months of imprisonment.
Furthermore, a warrant was issued last year for the arrest of the nanny Chunmei Li, who still remains at large. Chunmei Li could potentially face up to 12 years in prison. ◇