St. Pete palliative care physician charged with sexually exploiting kids

A St. Petersburg palliative care doctor who has overseen medical services for at least two hospice organizations in the region has been indicted and arrested on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. 

The federal charges against the physician, Dr. Stephen Andrew Leedy, 59, were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tampa late Monday. Authorities allege Leedy, going back to at least November 2021, “sexually exploited and victimized” approximately 10 minors online through conversations and video chats. Prosecutors also allege “Leedy instructed the minors to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and directed them to cut, choke, and hang themselves.”

Leedy faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison if convicted on all counts. 

The arrest drew the attention of multiple news outlets in the region and by midday Tuesday it had received national attention, including a story in the New York Post. The arrest also led to a statement from the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, where Leedy’s wife, the organization says, is its chief administrative officer. Lynda Leedy has held that role the past 10 years, the organization says, adding that the “arrest and allegations came as a complete shock to all, including his wife.” 

“Ms. Leedy is a valued member of JWB’s executive leadership team where she holds herself and others to the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior and possesses impeccable integrity,” JWB Chief Executive Officer Beth Houghton says in the Tuesday morning statement. “While this news leaves us stunned and saddened for Ms. Leedy, her family, and any potential victims in this case, I have the utmost confidence in her ability to continue to carry out JWB’s mission of strengthening the lives of our county’s children and families.”

Lynda Leedy does not work directly with children in her role, the organization says. 

Dr. Leedy, meanwhile, has held leadership roles in the medical and palliative care community in the region for at least two decades. He currently has staff privileges at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, according to the hospital’s website. Past roles he has held, according to Florida Agency for Health Care Administration documents, include chief medical officer for Gulfside Hospice and Pasco Palliative Care; national medical director for Compassionate Care Hospice; and executive vice president of medical services and chief medical officer for TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care in Sarasota.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the FBI-Tampa office, with assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department, FBI-Atlanta office and the Holly Springs Police Department, investigated the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.