Authorities arrested Guojon Xuan and Sylvia Zhang following a yearlong investigation into a sprawling Arcadia mansion where over 20 children were kept under constant surveillance.
The quiet streets of West Camino Real Avenue were disrupted early Tuesday morning as members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau descended on a gated. nine-bedroom mansion. Inside the multimillion-dollar home. investigators finally moved to dismantle a yearlong operation centered on more than 20 children. all kept under constant video surveillance. Guojon Xuan, 65, and his 38-year-old wife, Sylvia Zhang, were taken into custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit child abuse.
The arrests mark the conclusion of a probe that began when Arcadia police first searched the residence. discovering 15 children living inside. nearly all between the ages of 1 and 3. Court records and affidavits describe a home functioning as a rigid. monitored facility. featuring a “home school type atmosphere” where six live-in nannies provided care. In the couple’s primary bedroom, a large monitor displayed real-time footage from roughly 25 cameras positioned throughout the home. Every child in the house was kept with an identical buzz cut.
Evidence of the children’s environment surfaced when Zhang brought their 2-month-old son to Children’s Hospital in East Hollywood with bleeding in his brain and retina. The hospital notified authorities, triggering a deeper look into the residence. An investigation revealed that a nanny, Chunmei Li, allegedly slammed the infant’s head against a desk multiple times. Li was charged earlier this year with assault likely to cause death. but she and the five other caregivers fled to China before they could be taken into custody.
While the nannies were tasked with the day-to-day care, authorities believe Xuan and Zhang were aware of the violence and failed to intervene. Search warrant affidavits detail video footage showing nannies striking children in the face and forcing them to hold squatting positions as punishment.
Xuan, a wealthy real estate investor, had been a target of law enforcement for years. Before the child abuse probe, he was under scrutiny after an El Monte property he owned was found to be operating as an illicit casino, a marijuana stash house, and a grow site for psychedelic mushrooms.
Zhang, who married Xuan in 2021, claimed in court records to be the biological mother of 22 children with him. Court documents indicate all but two were delivered via surrogates. some of whom have since stated they felt deceived upon discovering their role in a mass delivery of newborns for the couple. Zhang previously stated she pursued a large family to bypass the restrictions of China’s former one-child policy. while Xuan’s attorney. Mitchell Krems. recently described his client’s motivation as a desire to raise “significant contributors to society. ” including physicians and researchers.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is set to address the arrests later today. As the investigation moves toward prosecution, the attorney representing Xuan declined to comment, and it remains unclear whether Zhang has retained legal representation.
Arcadia child abuse Guojon Xuan Sylvia Zhang Los Angeles County Sheriff mansion surrogacy