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Prosecutors seek $100 million bail each for couple in surrogacy abuse case
Los Angeles County prosecutors said at least 14 surrogate-born children, some as young as two months old, were abused at the couple’s California home.
Los Angeles County prosecutors are seeking bail of US$100 million each for Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, a Chinese-born couple charged with conspiring to abuse young children born through surrogacy, according to a felony complaint cited by SCMP Economy.
Prosecutors allege the couple directed nannies to physically punish the children, monitored alleged beatings through an extensive surveillance system, and coached the children to deny the abuse when police arrived.
The district attorney’s office said at least 14 surrogate-born children, some as young as two months old, were abused, and that the couple were accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children living in the home to repeated physical abuse.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement that the number of children allegedly subjected to the abuse is unprecedented.