Florida doctor encouraged minors to do unspeakable acts online, according to the U.S. Department of Justice

Content warning: This article mentions suicide and extreme child sexual and physical abuse. Please take care while reading.

A trusted Florida doctor is accused of encouraging minors to commit sex acts on webcam and instructing one teenage girl how to take her own life, which she did, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.

Stephen Andrew Leedy, 59, a successful palliative care doctor in the Tampa Bay area, was indicted in October and arrested two months later on charges he coerced at least 10 minors to produce sexually explicit content (CSAM) in online text conversations and video chats under the username “maximumuncle#9112″ and then to send him the material, including cutting, choking, and “daily hangings.”

In Nov. 2022, a 13-year-old girl was discovered dead, having hanged herself to Leedy’s instructions. A search of the teenager’s phone revealed text exchanges with “maximumuncle#9112,” which investigators determined was Leedy. Once accessed, Leedy’s phone revealed similar conversations, including graphic instructions for self-harm, between Leedy and other children across the country.

Leedy remained anonymous

According to the prosecution, Leedy used a fake identity when he created the social media account he contacted the minors through, and kept his webcam off during the explicit conversations. He reportedly instructed one child to call him “My Lord.”

“Everything that Leedy instructed these minor victims to do was either physically or mentally detrimental to the minor victims,” according to prosecutors. “He had absolutely no [regard] for their safety and took advantage of children more than half his age to gratify himself.”

Leedy, who is married, is currently held on federal charges in an Atlanta prison and if convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Leedy has denied the accusations.

“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,” Leedy’s attorneys told Tampa Bay news outlet FOX 13. “We will be entering a not guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and look forward to vigorously defending Dr. Leedy in court.”

Clara Reynolds, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, added, “[Leedy] was trusted in the community. He had a lot of skill sets, and in this double life that he led, unfortunately, he utilized those skill sets to really victimize innocent children in our community.”

Leedy’s wife works in juvenile care

It’s unclear whether Leedy has children, but reports say he was arrested at a traffic stop, unaware he had been indicted or that there was a warrant for his arrest, and insisted it must be mistaken identity. Leedy’s wife and mother-in-law were in the car at the time.

Leedy’s wife, Lynda Leedy, reportedly works at the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, though she does not work directly with children, and passed background checks when she was hired for the job.

Lynda was as shocked as anyone else about the crimes her husband was accused of committing, the organization said in a statement, and remains, “highly committed to the safety, health, and well-being of Pinellas County’s children.”

Leedy worked consulted at several Tampa Bay area hospices, and many released statements saying his consulting privileges had been revoked. According to the Miami Herald, Leedy is the vice president of operations at Seasons Healthcare Management, a national palliative and hospice care provider.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.

If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.