A woman, 62, with 13 kids, is accused of planning a deceptive scheme to have more children without her spouse’s approval. MaryBeth Lewis faces 30 charges for allegedly faking her husband’s signature and posing as him during a virtual court session to secretly arrange for two more children through surrogacy. Although she denies the accusations, she confessed to the deceit in a recent interview.
MaryBeth, a 68-year-old nurse, initially had five daughters, then twin daughters, another daughter, and twin sons over the years. Despite having 10 children by age 55, she desired to expand their family. Running out of their own embryos, the couple obtained donor sperm and eggs to conceive more children. Subsequently, at 59, they welcomed their 11th and 12th children through donor embryos. The youngest child was born via IVF at 62, despite doctors warning against another pregnancy.
The situation took a deceptive turn when MaryBeth allegedly orchestrated a complex surrogacy fraud to have more babies. She tricked an IVF clinic into implanting a surrogate with embryos created from donor eggs and sperm, unbeknownst to her husband who opposed further children.
MaryBeth admitted to impersonating her husband during an online hearing, falsely claiming he was abroad and communicating with the judge on his behalf. The scheme involved compensating a surrogate substantially. The husband discovered the plan after legal documents arrived, triggering a police report and an ongoing investigation.
Their 14th and 15th children were born in November 2023, but due to the controversy, the twins were placed in foster care. The legal process granted the Lewises parental rights over the twins but custody remains pending as the current foster family resists relinquishing care.
This incident isn’t the first time MaryBeth blindsided her husband. Allegedly, she secretly underwent IVF implantation of an embryo from the same batch as the surrogate’s babies for their 13th child. MaryBeth has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled for a court appearance on November 7.