Today, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the indictment and arrest of Stephen Andrew Leedy, 59, of St. Petersburg, on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted on all counts, Leedy faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
According to the indictment and court documents, Leedy, a palliative care doctor in the Tampa Bay area, utilized the username “maximumuncle#9112” to sexually exploit and victimize approximately ten minors online. In 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. In November 2021, Minor Victim 1 was discovered deceased, having hanged herself in front of her phone in a manner consistent with instructions Leedy had previously provided her.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.