Arcadia Surrogacy Mansion Defendant Fled U.S. After Prior Child Abuse Investigation, Prosecutors Say
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, defendants accused of trapping and abusing more than 20 surrogate children inside an Arcadia mansion, face a $20 million bail order after prosecutors revealed that Zhang previously fled the country to dodge an earlier child abuse investigation, latimes.com reported.
Bail Set at Twenty Million Dollars Amid Flight Risk Claims
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Caroline Lugo rejected defense requests for release on own recognizance during the Friday afternoon hearing. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri had filed a motion seeking a $100 million bail due to the couple’s extreme wealth. Judge Lugo settled the amount at $20 million. The hearing followed last week’s charges against Xuan, 66, and Zhang, 39, for multiple counts of conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.
Defense attorneys argued for release based on health and severity arguments. Mitchell Krems, representing Xuan, stated his client’s health is deteriorating in custody as he recovers from leukemia treatments, possesses a hole in his chest, and requires a wheelchair. Mark Koohanim, representing Zhang, argued the alleged abuse did not warrant extreme bail. These kids, there was no cigarette burn marks. There was no cages. There was no dog collars. There was no abuse by belts. These kids were well nutritioned, they were getting education every day,
Koohanim said.
Zhang and Nanny Fled China After Child Abuse Charges
Teymouri detailed a history of evasion in court on Friday, disclosing that Zhang fled to China after being charged with child abuse in 2019 for leaving her oldest daughter in a hot car for hours. Police originally responded when the then-8-year-old girl called 911 from inside the vehicle while Zhang was visiting Xuan, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also detailed the role of a nanny, Chunmei Li, who was previously charged with child abuse for hitting one of the children hard enough to cause a brain bleed. According to court filings presented by Teymouri, Li fled to China with the assistance of Xuan and Zhang.
Conditions Inside the Arcadia House of Horrors
Authorities described the Arcadia residence as an isolated environment where children were kept trapped for years without seeing sunlight. Teymouri stated that the children never attended external schools, visited playgrounds, or went to restaurants. Surveillance footage from inside the home last year captured thousands of instances of physical abuse over a 10-day span. Children were forced to sit in makeshift classrooms from sunrise to sundown, studying math, Mandarin, and English under constant threat of physical beatings for minor misbehavior.
During a search of the residence last week, police discovered the cremated remains of another surrogate child who died shortly after birth in Florida. Teymouri stated that the package containing the remains was mailed to the house and never opened by the defendants, demonstrating what prosecutors characterized as total indifference to the children’s well-being. When the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services took the children into custody last year, officials noted the children were scared to visit public parks because they had never been outside.