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MaryBeth Lewis, 68, stands at the center of an extraordinary legal battle. The New York mother gave birth to her 13th child at 62, continuing a journey that began decades earlier. Her story involves surrogacy, alleged fraud, and a desperate fight for custody of twins she considers her 14th and 15th children.
In 1982, MaryBeth met Bob Lewis at a St. Patrick’s Day party. The Air Force pilot and young nurse married quickly, joking about having ten children someday. Over the next decade, they had five daughters naturally. The family moved frequently as Bob’s military career took them across the country, eventually settling in Elma, New York.
By her mid-40s, MaryBeth’s daughters were grown. Bob traveled frequently for work, leaving her alone in their large six-bedroom home. The silence felt unbearable. She decided she wanted another baby. After years of unsuccessful attempts, the couple turned to in vitro fertilization at CNY Fertility, a clinic without strict age limits.
In 2007, three weeks before her 50th birthday, MaryBeth gave birth to twin girls through IVF. The delivery nearly killed her. She developed a rare blood-clotting disorder, required 21 units of blood, and woke on a ventilator. Doctors called it miraculous. But the babies were healthy, and MaryBeth was thrilled to be a mother again.
The babies kept coming. MaryBeth gave birth to another daughter in 2010, then twin boys in 2012 at age 55. A local newspaper featured the growing family, asking if there would be more. She laughed and said no. Yet in 2016, at 59, she delivered another set of twins using donor embryos, bringing her total to twelve children.
In 2010, MaryBeth’s mother died unexpectedly from a stroke. They had been inseparable, seeing each other four times weekly. The loss devastated her. Then, in 2013, her second daughter, Kristina, suffered a heart attack at 26, leaving her severely brain-damaged. Family members believe these tragedies deepened MaryBeth’s need for new babies to love.
On Easter 2019, MaryBeth surprised her family with plastic eggs containing notes announcing another pregnancy. She was 62. Her older daughters were shocked and frustrated. They had helped with childcare for years, delaying their own families. MaryBeth had gone behind Bob’s back again, secretly implanting embryos without his full consent.
After baby 13, the Lewises still paid monthly to keep their last embryos frozen. These were donor embryos, not biologically related to either parent. MaryBeth, a practicing Catholic, couldn’t bear to destroy them. Her doctor refused to implant them due to her thin uterine scar. Bob, now retired at 65, was adamant: 13 children were enough.
Unable to carry the embryos herself, MaryBeth decided on surrogacy. She contacted an agency that found a surrogate in Steuben County. The total cost would exceed $160,000. In their kitchen, Bob screamed at her to destroy the embryos. MaryBeth couldn’t accept that solution. She decided to move forward without his consent or knowledge.
On February 13, 2023, MaryBeth forged Bob’s signature on the surrogacy agreement. She had her brother-in-law notarize it without Bob present. A month later, the embryos were implanted. MaryBeth hoped the pregnancy wouldn’t take, giving her an easy way out. But three weeks later, the ultrasound revealed two heartbeats.
MaryBeth kept the pregnancy hidden, ordering baby supplies and telling Bob the packages were for their pregnant daughter, Liz. She tried to find the right moment to confess, but Bob remained unwilling to discuss having more children. The deception weighed on her. She knew she was in over her head but couldn’t find a way out.
On September 22, 2023, MaryBeth joined a Zoom hearing to obtain a parentage order. She told Judge Chauncey Watches that Bob was traveling in Japan. She logged on with a separate account for him, kept his camera off, and grunted when the judge addressed him. Six days later, Bob found the order in the mail.
Bob called MaryBeth at work, screaming demands for an explanation. He reported her to the authorities, then laughed darkly, saying she would be arrested. The judge’s office was immediately notified. Their family erupted in anger. MaryBeth’s teenage daughters were furious, knowing they would be expected to help care for more babies against their wishes.
On November 20, 2023, the surrogate delivered the twins. MaryBeth rushed to the hospital but was confronted by a woman in scrubs who said she would never see the babies. The court had rescinded the parentage order. The twins were deemed legally parentless under New York law, with no one having valid custody rights.
District Attorney Brooks Baker charged MaryBeth with 30 criminal counts, including forgery, perjury, and attempted kidnapping. He called it an off-the-wall collection of allegations. MaryBeth lost her university nursing job, was banned from her children’s school, and dropped 70 pounds from stress. Her younger kids feared she would go to prison.
Over two years, MaryBeth spent more than $500,000 fighting for freedom and custody. She rejected three plea deals requiring her to give up the twins. She raided her retirement account, maxed out credit cards, and took a stressful new job. Bob eventually supported her custody fight after realizing the consequences of his actions.
In mid-2024, Rochester attorneys took the case and discovered serious procedural errors. The parentage order had been revoked based only on a phone tip, without a proper hearing. After an influential judge learned of the violations, Judge Watches recused himself. Judge Matthew McCarthy took over and began correcting the court’s mistakes, tipping the scales toward the Lewises.
The foster parents had cared for the twins since birth. The children called them Mommy and Daddy, loved reading books before bed, and were approaching their second birthday. The foster parents hired lawyers to fight for adoption. They wrote to reporters, hoping coverage would protect two precious children they considered their own after two years.
On October 20, 2025, Judge McCarthy officially recognized MaryBeth and Bob as the legal parents. The twins, nearly two years old, received new names in court documents. But the twins’ court-appointed attorney secured a temporary stay. At a hearing eight days later, McCarthy suggested reunification was inevitable but scheduled another session for late November.
Most of MaryBeth’s older daughters rallied to support her despite disagreeing with her decisions. They testified about her devotion as a mother. One daughter said she was not perfect but truly a wonderful mom and human being. The younger Lewis children cried often, worried about their mother’s fate, and wanted their new siblings home.
MaryBeth’s case raises profound questions about reproductive technology. What makes someone a mother: genetics, gestation, or intent? Should there be age limits on surrogacy? Attorneys on all sides expressed surprise at the highly unusual case. MaryBeth insists she saved the embryos from destruction, giving them life. Critics argue she committed fraud to satisfy personal desires.
As of late 2025, the twins remain in foster care pending appeal. MaryBeth faces criminal charges but expects a plea deal avoiding jail time. She has lost her career and most of her savings. Bob assembles cribs in their Elma home, waiting to meet the twins for the first time. The legal battle continues with no clear resolution.
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