Physician Coached Teenagers to Produce Sexual Materials, ‘Dangle Themselves’ Whereas He Watched On-line: US Legal professional

Stephen Leedy, 59, of St. Petersburg, who labored in Tampa as a palliative care physician, was arrested on December 20 and has been charged with three counts of manufacturing of kid sexual abuse materials and two counts of coercing or engaging a minor to have interaction in sexual exercise, based on a press launch from the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, Center District of Florida.

If convicted on all 5 counts, Leedy faces a most penalty of life in a federal jail.

Prosecutors imagine that Leedy operated on-line beneath the username “maximumuncle#9112,” the place they are saying he sexually exploited roughly 10 minors on-line, together with conversations of a sexual nature and video chats.

In line with the press launch, “Leedy instructed the minors to supply sexually specific photos of themselves and directed them to chop, choke, and hold themselves.”

These alleged behaviors, per the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, led to the final word tragedy within the case of 1 sufferer, a 13-year-old woman discovered deceased in her lavatory in November 2021.

Of their movement to detain Leedy, prosecutors claimed the sufferer was discovered “hanging from the bathe head” along with her telephone “propped up on the tub straight in entrance of her” on November 16, per the Miami Herald.

The united statesAttorney’s Workplace press launch famous she had “hanged herself in entrance of her telephone in a fashion in keeping with directions Leedy had beforehand offered her.”

These purported directions, per the Herald, included that she “choke herself utilizing a canine leash,” which is what was round her neck when she was discovered. She was additionally reportedly inspired to have interaction in “day by day hangings.”

Moreover, investigators discovered sexual conversations with username “maximumuncle#9112” on the sufferer’s telephone, per the Herald. The suspect additionally allegedly directed this sufferer, per prosecutors, in addition to 9 others, “to supply baby pornography whereas on video calls with him to fulfill his personal sexual deviant curiosity in youngsters.”

Of their movement, prosecutors stated that they’ve “extraordinarily robust” proof towards the physician, although “maximumuncle#9112” by no means revealed his id to his alleged victims, hiding behind a black display screen and “anonymity” whereas speaking with them on-line.

“Regulation enforcement confirmed Leedy’s possession over the account used to encourage minors to have interaction in sadistic and sexual habits,” the detention movement acknowledged.

“The conversations frequently revolved round his management over the minor sufferer, commenting on how ‘obedient’ they’re and asking no less than one minor sufferer to discuss with him as ‘my Lord,'” prosecutors acknowledged.

“Every little thing that Leedy instructed these minor victims to do was both bodily or mentally detrimental,” wrote prosecutors of their courtroom submitting, per the Herald. “He had completely no (regard) for his or her security and took benefit of kids greater than half his age to gratify himself.”

In an announcement dated January 7 to McClatchy Information, as reported by the Herald, Leedy’s attorneys Bjorn Brunvand and Lucas Fleming stated their shopper “adamantly denies the costs which were filed towards him in federal courtroom.”

The duo added, “It’s notably essential in moments like this when somebody is being accused of very troubling allegations, that we afford him the presumption of innocence.” They famous they “will likely be getting into a not responsible plea on the earliest alternative and stay up for vigorously defending Dr. Leedy in courtroom.”

The Herald notes that Leedy’s medical license stays energetic within the State of Florida and no disciplinary data or public complaints are listed as of January 7.

The suspect’s spouse, Lynda Leedy, works because the chief administrative officer of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

In an announcement launched after the allegations, the board’s CEO Beth Houghton advised ABC affiliate WFTS, “Ms. Leedy is a valued member of JWB’s Govt Management Crew, the place she holds herself and others to the very best requirements of moral {and professional} habits and possesses impeccable integrity.”

“Whereas this information leaves us shocked and saddened for Ms. Leedy, her household, and any potential victims on this case,” she continued, “I’ve the utmost confidence in her potential to proceed to hold out JWB’s mission of strengthening the lives of our county’s youngsters and households.”

As of January 7, Leedy was being held in a federal jail in Atlanta after having been picked up by police in Georgia. He’s awaiting extradition to Florida, per courtroom data.