▲ The home of a Chinese couple arrested on charges of abusing more than 20 children obtained through surrogacy.
A Chinese couple residing in the United States has been arrested by local police after it was revealed that they monitored and corporally punished over 20 children born through surrogacy using closed-circuit television, according to reports.
The Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press reported on the 6th local time that Xuanguo Jun and Sylvia Zhang, a Chinese-American couple living in Arcadia, California, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation.
According to court records, the couple has a total of 22 children, with at least 20 of them born through surrogacy.
The children range in age from up to 13 years old down to 2 months old. Most of them are understood to be between 1 and 3 years old, as the couple hired surrogates simultaneously over recent years.
Among them, 15 children lived in a nine-bedroom mansion in Arcadia, cared for by six live-in nannies.
The Associated Press reported that the mansion featured three rooms designated as learning centers, where the children were forced to sit at desks for hours at a time.
The couple installed 25 cameras throughout the house and monitored them from their bedroom.
In addition, all the children had shaved heads and reportedly received physical punishment from the nannies.
CCTV footage captured instances of nannies slapping children in the face and forcing them into squatting punishment positions.
In May of last year, one of the nannies inflicted head trauma on a 2-month-old infant, resulting in symptoms of brain hemorrhage. Following this incident, the couple was arrested once before being released without charges.
The nanny in question fled to China prior to the arrest.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that it is an unprecedented and horrifying case, adding that it can only be described as a house of terror for the children.
Xuan is a real estate investor, and one of his properties was used as an illegal Big Bet and marijuana storage facility, placing him under authorities' surveillance since 2021.
In a past interview with the Wall Street Journal, he mentioned China's former one-child policy, stating that it was the reason he wanted to have many children in the US.
His legal representative also claimed that Xuan pursued surrogate births for the purpose of cultivating talented individuals.
Attorney Mitchell Krems explained that while some wealthy people spend money on jewelry or cars, Xuan spent his money to educate children and shape them into philosophers, doctors, researchers, and inventors who could contribute to society.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.