A Florida palliative care doctors forced children to perform sex acts online and helped one 13 year-old girl hang herself, federal prosecutors say.
Charges against Dr. Steven Andrew Leedy, 59, were announced Monday, over two years on from the unidentified child’s suicide.
She hanged herself in front of her phone.
A subsequent search of the device found chats between the youngster and a man prosecutors say is Leedy, who directed the girl to produce child sex abuse material and choke herself.
Leedy, who is said to have gone by the username maximumuncle#9112, is said to have encouraged other children to produce explicit material for him and self-harm.
Prosecutors say the doctor – who works at Lakeland Regional Medical Center – ‘very clearly engaged in this predatory behavior with approximately ten minor victims across the country.’
Leedy is said to have spoken to his victims by video-calling them, but kept his screen black and never revealed his identity to victims, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He has a clean medical licenses with the Florida Department of Health.
But Leedy faces dying behind bars if convicted of the three counts of production of child sex abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity he now faces.
The doctor lives in a $1.1 million home a few blocks back from St Petersburg beach with wife Lynda, who holds a senior executive role with Pinellas County.
She is said to have been ‘shocked’ by news of her husband’s arrest.
Prosecutors wrote: ‘Everything that Leedy instructed these minor victims to do was either physically or mentally detrimental to the minor victims.
Florida palliative care doctor Stephen Andrew Leedy has been charged with co-ercing children into sex acts online and helping a 13 year-old girl take her own life
Leedy’s $1.1m home in St Petersburg, Florida, is pictured. He faces life in jail if convicted of the crimes he’s charged of
Leedy’s wife Lynda, pictured, holds a senior role at Pinellas County, but there is no suggestion she was aware of her husband’s alleged crimes
‘He had absolutely no (regard) for their safety and took advantage of children more than half his age to gratify himself.’
Lynda has been the chief administrative officer for Pinellas County’s juvenile welfare board for the last 10 years.
Her husband’s arrest was a ‘complete shock’ to her, according to a statement issued by Pinellas County on Tuesday morning.
Pinellas County CEO Beth Houghton said she was ‘stunned and saddened’ for Lynda and that she has the ‘utmost confidence’ that she can carry on her role as before.
Houghton said Lynda did not work with children and was required to complete a stringent background check before her hire, further underlining that she knew nothing about her husband’s alleged crimes.
The statement concluded: ‘During this challenging time, we ask for grace, empathy, and privacy for Ms. Leedy and her family.’
Leedy was seen as an authoritative voice on palliative care, which aims to keep terminally-ill people comfortable during their final weeks or months.
He spoke about the topic at conferences and traveled to Lancaster University in England to share his expertise with other doctors and medical students.
