It all began in May when a 2-month-old baby was rushed to a hospital in Arcadia, Southern California, with severe head trauma and intracranial bleeding. The hospital alerted police, uncovering a suspected child abuse and surrogacy case.
During the investigation, police found 21 children confined in a luxury mansion. These children, born via different surrogate mothers, were under the legal guardianship of a Chinese couple—Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38.
Xuan is an active pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member in Southern California’s Chinese community and president of the U.S.-Xinjiang Chamber of Commerce.
The children are now in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
On July 16, officer Kollin Cieadlo of the Arcadia Police Department told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that most children were infants or toddlers, aged 1 to 3 years old.
Preliminary investigations suggest the children were born through a surrogacy agency operated by Zhang and Xuan. According to Cieadlo, the surrogate mothers, from diverse ethnic backgrounds, were recruited from various U.S. locations.
Despite Xuan and Zhang claiming to be married, authorities have found no marriage certificate or legal documentation proving their marriage.
Nanny on the Run
On May 7, Arcadia police were informed by a local hospital to a suspected child abuse case: a 2-month-old baby was admitted with severe head trauma and intracranial bleeding. Emergency room staff believed the child had been in a "significant accident," "intentionally struck," or forcefully shaken, according to Cieadlo.Police launched an investigation and executed a search warrant at a home on W. Camino Real Ave. in Arcadia. They found 15 children in the residence and six additional children living elsewhere. "We believe they were staying temporarily with family friends. So, the Department of Children and Family Services responded to those locations and took those children into protective custody," Cieadlo said.
Surveillance footage revealed that on May 5, nanny Chunmei Li violently shook and beat the baby unconscious.
Although legal guardians Xuan and Zhang were aware of the incident, they did not seek medical care until two days later, after the baby suffered a seizure.
Suspected Surrogacy Scheme
The children, ranging from 2 months to 13 years old, with most aged 1 to 3, are listed with Zhang as the mother on their birth records.The couple told police they just “wanted a big family, to have lots and lots of kids.”
Police suspect surrogacy, as “it would be physically impossible for a single person to have that many children given the age range,” Cieadlo said. “That's all part of an ongoing investigation.”
Cieadlo also described a very strange scene when they entered the couple's home on May 7. They found 15 children with the same hairstyle and clothing, looking nearly identical. “The same short cropped haircut and were wearing similar clothes. It didn't matter whether they were a boy or a girl, they all had very similar appearances in nature.”
Police are collaborating with the FBI and the DCFS to investigate potential criminal activity or human trafficking and to determine how the children came to live in the house.
Xuan’s Pro-CCP Background
Xuan is a known pro-communist figure in Southern California’s Chinese community, frequently participating in events organized by Chinese regime-affiliated groups, some attended by Chinese consular officials from Los Angeles.The Xinjiang Chamber of Commerce is part of a network tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, which seeks to build influence abroad. These ties raise concerns about potential foreign influence and exploitation of U.S. fertility and citizenship laws.
He is affiliated with other prominent pro-Beijing Chinese community figures and holds titles including president of the U.S.-Xinjiang Chamber of Commerce and honorary president of the Chinese American Federation of Southern California.