“House of Horrors” – 14 children severely abused by surrogate mothers

The allegations are serious: The public prosecutor in Los Angeles has filed charges against a couple for child abuse in a surrogacy scandal. The 66-year-old man and his 39-year-old wife were arrested at their home in Arcadia on Tuesday (local time). At least 14 children, including babies born by surrogate mothers, are said to have been abused in the couple's large villa.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called it a “house of horrors.” According to the investigation, the children were brought up extremely strictly and were punished with beatings. Six nannies were told by the couple to use force to discipline the children. 32 surveillance cameras in the rooms of the villa recorded this. According to the police, there are recordings of nannies hitting the young victims with sticks and a shoe.

Infant hospitalized with head injury

The couple ran a surrogate mother agency and kept numerous children born through surrogacy for themselves. The authorities had already noticed the allegedly abusive behavior in 2025, when an infant was brought to a hospital with serious head injuries. According to the parents' statements, it had fallen out of bed, but the doctors suspected child abuse.