According to prosecutors and court documents, a Florida doctor was federally indicted on charges that he sexually molested ten minors, including a teenage girl who was discovered dead after he gave her instructions to harm herself.
In a statement released Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida accused St. Petersburg resident Stephen Andrew Leedy with three counts of producing material pertaining to child sexual abuse and two counts of pressuring or luring a minor to participate in sexual activity.
Prosecutors claimed that Leedy, 59, a palliative care physician in the Tampa region, used the username maximumuncle#9112 to exploit ten youngsters online.
According to court records, Leedy was taken into custody in Georgia on December 20. Prosecutors said if he is found guilty on all counts, he may be sentenced to life in jail.
On Thursday, Leedy’s lawyers, Bjorn Brunvand and Lucas Fleming, announced that their client was being detained at Tallahassee’s Federal Correctional Institution.
Leedy denies any wrongdoing, and the attorneys stated in a statement that they want to enter a not guilty plea.
Stephen Leedy, our client, vehemently contests the accusations made against him in federal court. According to the statement, it is crucial that we give someone the presumption of innocent during times like these when they are facing extremely concerning accusations. We look forward to robustly defending Dr. Leedy in court and will be entering a not guilty plea as soon as possible.
According to federal authorities, Leedy encouraged the juveniles to cut, choke, and hang themselves after directing them to make sexually graphic photos of themselves through video chats and online communications.
According to a motion for pretrial detention, a 13-year-old girl was discovered dead in a bathtub in November 2022.
The motion revealed that the child had been speaking to maximumuncle#9112, who was eventually identified as Leedy, on her telephone, which was propped up on her bathtub right in front of her.
According to the motion, there were multiple other child victims when law enforcement used a search warrant to examine Leedy’s account on a social media platform that was not mentioned in the document.
According to the petition, Leedy never disclosed who he really was on this online social media platform. He used a blank screen or lied about who he was when he was on video conversations with the young victims in order to hide behind the veil of anonymity.
Leedy’s medical license expires on January 31, 2026, according to records from the Florida Department of Health. The Health Department reported that an emergency suspension order was submitted on Tuesday.
To reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text or call 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org, if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis. For more assistance, go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.