Woman held in abuse of 11 adopted kids

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Abuse charges were filed Wednesday against a woman accused of fraudulently adopting and mistreating 11 New York children in order to bilk a child welfare agency out of $2 million.

Judith Leekin, 62, could face as long as 190 years in prison if convicted on all 10 counts stemming from her alleged abuse of the children, including handcuffing them and holding them captive at her Port St. Lucie home, said prosecutor Ajay Whittemore.

She was charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated abuse of the elderly or a disabled person, witness tampering and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. “More evidence is coming in on a daily basis,” Whittemore said. “We’ve just scratched the surface on this.”

Leekin was jailed on more than $4 million bail. Her attorney, Mario Garcia, has said she will plead not guilty and denies the allegations.

Investigators believe Leekin used aliases to adopt 11 children from four New York City agencies from 1993 to 1996. Port St. Lucie police say she often handcuffed the children together. The children, who now range in age from 15 to 27, told police they were never allowed to attend school or see a doctor or a dentist, and were barely fed.