Brandon Keith Riley‑Mitchell, a 39‑year‑old Pennsylvania resident who is a Tier 1 registered sex offender, became a legal parent of an infant boy through a surrogacy arrangement in 2024, drawing attention to gaps in state family law.
Riley‑Mitchell was convicted in 2016 on charges including child pornography, corruption of minors, and child sex abuse related to inappropriate contact with a minor while employed as a teacher, and he was placed on the Pennsylvania sex‑offender registry. He later married his husband, Logan Riley. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Pennsylvania law prohibits registered sex offenders from adopting or fostering children, but does not explicitly prevent them from seeking parentage through surrogacy. Legal experts and lawmakers have described this as a loophole because surrogacy agreements can grant full legal parentage at birth without the customary background checks or judicial review applied to adoptions. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Videos of Riley‑Mitchell and his husband with their baby circulated widely online in mid‑2025, prompting public debate and calls from state officials to reform surrogacy law to require background checks and child‑abuse clearances for intended parents. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
