A former St. Louis pediatrician has admitted that for nearly a decade, he exchanged prescriptions for sexual favors from women. Craig A. Spiegel, 69, reportedly wrote the prescriptions without verifying symptoms, sometimes for adults whom he treated as children. Prosecutors claim Spiegel sometimes knew the women had substance abuse problems but gave them the medications anyway. It appears his desire for sexual gratification meant more than the Hippocratic Oath he once took.
Now, the disgraced doctor must wait until March for sentencing. He could spend decades in prison and have to pay more than $1 million in fines. That seems like a small price to pay for living a lie and putting lives in danger.
According to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri, Spiegel admitted he regularly issued prescriptions or controlled substances as far back as 2014 until May 2023. The former pediatrician admitted that he knew what he was doing was both illegal and that the prescriptions had no medical purpose. Spiegel reportedly wrote prescriptions for multiple women who then performed sexual acts or gave him provocative photos.
“In many cases, he wrote the prescriptions despite knowing that the women had a substance use disorder and that issuing the prescription would endanger the recipient’s mental or physical health,” the release explained.
If this weren’t horrific enough, Spiegel reportedly treated many of these women as their pediatrician when they were children. He admitted that one woman came to his office in Bridgeton, Missouri, to perform sexual favors in exchange for pain medication or Adderall. Spiegel also admitted to knowingly writing prescriptions for one woman that included an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a stimulant and/or a muscle relaxer, even though he knew she had a high risk for overdose.
Spiegel did not work alone, and his co-defendant, 48-year-old April Bingham, also received controlled substance prescriptions in exchange for sexual favors. He apparently knew she was addicted to the medications and sold them. Spiegel regularly prescribed controlled substances for Bingham using a variety of other people’s names, including her ex-husband and mother. Not only was he giving her medications she didn’t need, but the pair also committed insurance fraud.
“The Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and Illinois Medicaid programs suffered losses totaling $114,480 as a result of Spiegel’s illegal prescription practices,” read the news release.
Spiegel also admitted to lying during an April 2025 hearing in US District Court in St. Louis while attempting to suppress evidence found on his cellphone. The former doctor reportedly lied under oath, claiming he did not sign a consent form authorizing the Bridgeton Police Department to search his phone.
He will appear in court on March 24, 2026, to learn his fate. He pleaded guilty to one count each of illegal distribution of controlled substances, making false statements related to health care matters, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. For the conspiracy and distribution charges, Spiegel could face up to 20 years in prison for each, a $1 million fine, or both. The false statement charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The only positive in this scenario is that Spiegel’s crimes didn’t include hurting children. But it still makes us sick to think there are so many wolves living in sheep’s clothing and we might never even know it.
