Psychiatrist Levi Chen-Wah Leong convicted for sex with patient

October 20, 2013

A man in his role as a psychiatrist has been found guilty of engaging in sexual intercourse with a 25-year-old female patient who had been in his care in November 2011 in Chisago County.

Levi Chen-Wah Leong, 37, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., formerly of St. Croix Falls, Wis., was found guilty of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree Oct. 11 in Chisago County District Court. A jury determined the verdict on Leong, a psychiatrist who was licensed in Wisconsin at the time of the incident, after hearing testimony from 13 witnesses during a four-day trial, Chisago County Attorney Janet Reiter said.

According to the complaint:

On Aug. 8, 2012, the Lakes Area Police Department received a report from Chisago County Health and Human Services that a female vulnerable adult, 25, had been seeing Leong, who was then employed as a psychiatrist at St. Croix Regional Medical Center, at the medical center in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

An investigation revealed Leong had been treating the woman as a patient since the fall of 2011 and during visits, Leong started “hitting on” her, which resulted in kissing in his office and later a relationship between the two.

In an interview with law enforcement, a family member of the victim said Leong began to show up at the church the woman was attending in the fall of 2011. “She felt she was being stalked,” said the family member, believing their relationship was not appropriate.

Also stated was an instance last fall when the woman was driven to Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, where she was treated for “extreme intoxication” while Leong had been with her. Another occasion involving her being intoxicated in the presence of Leong occurred at the victim’s apartment, the family member noted.

In a separate interview, a friend of the victim recalled the woman saying, “I can’t figure that doctor out,” affirming the two did carry on a relationship, with Leong often calling or emailing her. At one point, she tried to end the relationship, and if she didn’t respond to his frequent calls or emails, he would drive to her apartment to make contact, the friend explained.

Law enforcement then interviewed the victim who recalled the events mentioned by the friend and family member, along with more details about the relationship with Leong. While he had been living in St. Croix Falls at the time, a complaint warrant was requested because his whereabouts and likelihood of responding to a court summons were unknown. In December 2012, a detective learned Leong had since moved out of the residence and was provided a forwarding address in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Following his guilty verdict, Leong was taken into custody and will be held without bail until he is sentenced. His sentencing hearing will be held on a date to be determined. According to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines, the presumptive sentence for this offense ranges from 41-57 months in prison, Reiter explained.

Assistant County Attorney Nicholas Hydukovich prosecuted the case.

Source: Jon Tatting, "Psychiatrist found guilty of having sex with patient," The Post Review, October 16, 2013.