Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang were arrested at their Arcadia home Tuesday and charged in connection with alleged abuse of surrogate-born children, authorities said. The couple pleaded not guilty in Pasadena, according to the BBC, citing CBS News.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said the alleged number of children affected was unprecedented. The BBC reported that prosecutors accused the pair of conspiring to repeatedly abuse 15 of 16 children in their home, while its headline said at least 14 children were involved. The Guardian reported that 15 children, ages two months to 13 years, were removed from the home and described an investigation involving at least 21 children. The BBC said 21 children had been removed from the couple's custody last year.