"House of Terror": Chinese Couple Arrested for Monitoring and Abusing Over 20 Surrogate Children

Arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse and Witness Intimidation
Most Children Aged 1 to 3
"An Unprecedented and Horrific Case"

Chinese parents living in the United States were arrested by local police after it was revealed that they obtained more than 20 children through surrogacy, monitored them via closed-circuit television (CCTV), and subjected them to corporal punishment.

According to local media, including the Los Angeles Times on October 6 (local time), Xuan Guojun (65) and Sylvia Zhang (38), a Chinese couple residing in Arcadia, California, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation.

The house of the Chinese couple arrested on charges of abuse after having around 20 children through surrogacy. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

Court records indicate that they had a total of 22 children, at least 20 of whom were born via surrogate mothers. The children ranged in age from 2 months to 13 years old, and over the past few years, the couple had hired multiple surrogates at the same time, resulting in most children being between 1 and 3 years old.

Fifteen of the children lived in a mansion with nine bedrooms, where six live-in nannies were employed to care for them. Within the mansion, there were three rooms designated as "learning centers," and the children were required to sit at desks for several hours at a time. The couple installed 25 cameras throughout the house and monitored them from the bedroom.

The nannies inflicted physical punishment on the children, such as slapping their faces or making them squat, which police were able to confirm through CCTV footage.

In May last year, one of the nannies struck the head of a two-month-old baby, causing symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. The couple was arrested once but released without charges. The nanny in question fled to China prior to arrest.

Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney, described the case as "unprecedented and horrific," adding, "It must have been a house of terror for the children." Regarding the couple's motive, Hochman stated, "It is still under investigation and not yet clearly determined,” adding that "each child's biological relationship is also being investigated."

According to reports, Xuan is a real estate investor, and one of his properties was used as an illegal casino and marijuana storage facility, placing him under surveillance by authorities since 2021. In a previous interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), he cited China's "one-child policy" as a reason for wanting to have many children in the United States.

His legal representative also argued that Xuan pursued surrogacy to "raise talent." Attorney Mitchell Krems explained, "Some wealthy people spend money on jewelry or cars, but Xuan spent it to educate his children and develop them into philosophers, doctors, researchers, and inventors who can contribute to society."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.