Minor allegedly hanged herself after Florida doctor instructed her to do so

TAMPA, Fla. (TCN) -- A palliative care doctor faces federal charges after allegedly coercing minors to produce sex abuse material and physically harm themselves.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, 59-year-old Stephen Leedy is accused of speaking with around 10 juveniles online under the username "maximumuncle#9112" and telling them to take sexually explicit images of themselves. Leedy also allegedly instructed the victims to "cut, choke, and hang themselves."

Per the Tampa Bay Times, in a motion for pretrial detention, prosecutors said Leedy’s victims lived across the country. Leedy reportedly "never revealed his true identity on this online social media application, and when he spoke to the minor victims over video chat, he maintained a black screen to further conceal his identity."

Prosecutors argued, "Everything that Leedy instructed these minor victims to do was either physically or mentally detrimental to the minor victims," and that he "took advantage of children more than half his age to gratify himself."

The U.S. Attorney’s office said one minor hanged herself in front of her phone in a manner consistent with Leedy’s instructions in November 2021. Investigators reportedly found communication between the victim and Leedy.

The defendant faces three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Court records reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times say Leedy was indicted on Oct. 24 and arrested on Dec. 20. If convicted, Leedy faces up to life in federal prison.

His attorneys told the Tampa Bay Times, "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. We will be entering a not guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and look forward to vigorously defending Dr. Leedy in court."

Leedy’s wife is reportedly the chief administrative officer of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County. A statement from the board said Leedy’s arrest was "a complete shock to all."

According to WTVT-TV, Leedy previously worked as chief medical officer at a hospice center owned by Empath Health. The company said in a statement he had not been employed by them in over 10 years, adding, "While there has been minimal professional interaction with him since then, he has not been employed by Empath Health for more than a decade. We have faith in the legal process to address this matter and remain focused on supporting our communities with extraordinary and compassionate care."

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