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A nurse who gave birth to her 13th child aged 62 is accused of orchestrating an elaborate surrogacy fraud so she could have two additional children at the grand old age of 65. MaryBeth Lewis is facing 30 criminal charges over allegations she forged her husband Bob's signature and impersonated him during a Zoom court hearing, the New York Times reported. Lewis has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but admitted to the deception during an interview with the outlet. 'This is bullcrap for what I did to get all these fricking felonies,' she told the New York Times. The mom, now 68, described how she duped husband retired FedEx pilot Bob Lewis and tricked an IVF clinic into implanting a surrogate with embryos the two had previously created using donor eggs and sperm. Lewis described how she impersonated her husband during an online parentage order hearing by creating a separate Zoom account under his name and logging into the call. She told the New York Times she explained to Steuben County Judge Chauncey J. Watches that her pilot husband was traveling in Japan at the time and made sure to keep the account's camera off. Lewis said the only time she spoke as her husband was to 'grunt' in assent when asked to confirm Bob's identity. Bob, who did not want to have any more babies, said he only discovered his wife's alleged charade when the parentage order was delivered to their upstate New York home. Lewis had been having other mail regarding the secret surrogacy delivered to a post office box, but couldn't stop the judge's order from coming to her home. Bob was initially infuriated by his wife's actions and reported her to the authorities, prompting the court to rescind the order and launch a lengthy investigation into the family. Bob later agreed to be part of a parentage order, but his report set off an explosive chain reaction which landed the couple in a lengthy court process from which they are yet to escape. Lewis' desire for a large family was no secret and took solace in her role as a mother while her husband traveled the world. The alleged incident with the surrogate was not the first time she is accused of deceiving Bob. The couple's youngest child, who was an embryo in the same batch as the surrogate's babies, was born to Lewis at the age of 62 via IVF after she secretly had it implanted. 'He originally signed for all this stuff,' Lewis told the New York Times. 'But he wasn’t thrilled, let me put it that way.' Bob now dotes on his youngest daughter, as he does all his children, but was unequivocal that the child should be the couple's last. The couple's first five daughters who were entering their thirties were also growing weary at being asked to help out with their siblings. They also face the prospect of acting as adoptive parents should Lewis die before her youngest children reach adulthood. Lewis was already a geriatric mother many times over at the time of her final birth. She gave birth to twin girls just weeks before her 50th birthday, gave birth to another daughter three years later and welcomed twin boys in 2012. Despite being 55 and having 10 children of her own, Lewis felt her calling to motherhood was not complete. The couple had run out of their own embryos, but purchased donor sperm and donor eggs to create a new batch. She was impregnated with the donor embryos and welcomed her 11th and 12th children at the age of 59. After she gave birth to her 13th child at 62-years-old, doctors forbid her from another pregnancy fearing the repercussions for her body and she landed on surrogacy. Lewis agreed to pay the surrogate $49,000 for carrying the children and an additional $7,000 if two fetal heartbeats were detected. She also agreed to cover any associated health and legal costs, plus pay $200 a week for breast milk and a $3,500 hazard bonus if the babies were born via c-section. The Lewis's are well-off thanks to lengthy careers, generous pensions and a 401(k) that holds more than $2 million. Despite Bob's initial fury, he soon came to realize that he had opened the family up to exorbitant legal fees and court wrangles by reporting his wife. He ultimately gave in to Lewis' desires and executed a new surrogacy contract, which they both signed, but the damage was already done. Judge Watches ruled that the couple could not undo the damage of the alleged fraud simply by obtaining a new contract. The couple's 14th and 15th babies were born in November 2023 and placed in foster care with a local couple. Lewis was hit with the charges and has rejected three plea deals. She was dumped by her attorney but refuses to give up. 'I’m not taking it, these are my children,' she said. A law office in Rochester picked up Lewis' case last year and noted 'procedural errors' in it. The attorneys consulted a New York State Supreme Court judge, who seemingly swayed the lower court judge to step down. Their babies foster parents, a couple in their 30s who previously filed for adoption, are fighting to keep the toddlers and say they have only ever known them to be their parents. But after months of court battles, the Lewises were finally named the legal parents of the twins on October 20. However, they have not gained custody of the little boy and girl and their 'reunification' has been delayed. The judge has signaled that Lewises will win their court battle, but they remain anxious and eager to meet the children. Their next hearing is later this month. Lewis' hearing on her criminal charges is set for November 7. The Daily Mail has reached out to her attorney for comment.
