WPBN: Following allegations that he sexually assaulted ten children, including a teenage girl who was discovered dead after he directed her to kill herself, a Florida physician was indicted on federal charges.
According to the records filed by the court and the prosecution, the doctor was indicted.
According to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida on Monday, Stephen Andrew Leedy, who resides in St. Petersburg, has been charged with two counts of coercing or enticing a kid to participate in sexual behavior as well as three counts of producing material that depicts child sexual abuse.
A palliative care physician in the Tampa region named Leedy, who is 59 years old, is accused of exploiting ten youngsters online using the username “maximumuncle#9112,” according to the prosecution.
Apparently, Leedy was taken into custody on December 20 in the state of Georgia. If he is found guilty of all charges, the prosecutor’s office recommends that he be sentenced to the maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
The attorneys for Leedy, Bjorn Brunvand and Lucas Fleming, announced on Thursday that their client was being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee.
Leedy denies any wrongdoing, and the attorneys stated in a statement that they want to enter a not guilty plea.
“Our client, Stephen Leedy adamantly denies the charges that have been filed against him in federal court. It is particularly important in moments like this when someone is being accused of very troubling allegations, that we afford him the presumption of innocence,” according to the statement. “We will be entering a not guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and look forward to vigorously defending Dr. Leedy in court.”
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According to the federal prosecutors, “Leedy instructed the minors to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and directed them to cut, choke, and hang themselves.” This instruction was communicated to the minors through online talks and video calling.
According to the request for pretrial detention, a girl who was 13 years old was discovered dead in a shower in the month of November 2022.
According to the motion, the girl’s smartphone was propped up on her bathtub immediately in front of her, and it revealed that she had been chatting to maximumuncle#9112, who was later proven to be Leedy. The girl’s cellphone was also found in front of her.
In accordance with the motion, police enforcement executed a search warrant in order to investigate Leedy’s account on a social networking platform that was not specifically specified in the document. The investigation revealed that there were multiple other underage victims.
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“Leedy never revealed his true identity on this online social media application,” according to the motion said. “He hid behind the cloak of anonymity by either lying about his identity or using a black screen while engaging in video calls with the minor victims.”
Leedy’s medical license expires on January 31, 2026, according to records from the Florida Department of Health. The Health Department reported that a “emergency suspension order” was submitted on Tuesday.
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