A Florida doctor was federally indicted on allegations he sexually exploited 10 children, including a teenage girl who was found dead after he directed her to hurt herself, according to prosecutors and court documents.
Stephen Andrew Leedy, of St. Petersburg, is charged with three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a statement Monday.
Leedy, 59, a palliative care doctor in the Tampa area, exploited 10 minors online using the username “maximumuncle#9112,” prosecutors said.
Leedy was arrested Dec. 20 in Georgia, court records said. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if he is convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.
Leedy's attorneys, Bjorn Brunvand and Lucas Fleming, said Thursday their client was being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee.
In a statement, the lawyers said that Leedy denies wrongdoing and that they plan 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,” the statement said. “We will be entering a not guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and look forward to vigorously defending Dr. Leedy in court.”
Through online conversations and video chats, “Leedy instructed the minors to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and directed them to cut, choke, and hang themselves,” federal prosecutors said.
In November 2022, a 13-year-old girl was found dead in a shower, a motion for pretrial detention said.
The girl’s cellphone was propped up on her bathtub directly in front of her, and it showed she had been talking to maximumuncle#9112, who was later determined to be Leedy, according to the motion.
Through a search warrant, law enforcement reviewed Leedy’s account on a social media application not named in the motion, which showed there were several other minor victims, the motion said.
“Leedy never revealed his true identity on this online social media application,” 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."
Florida Department of Health records show Leedy's medical license expires Jan. 31, 2026. An “emergency suspension order” was filed Tuesday, according to the Health Department.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
