A St. Louis-area pediatrician, Dr. Craig Spiegel, has pleaded guilty to a series of federal charges involving the illegal distribution of controlled substances. Spiegel admitted in federal court Thursday to the charges, which include trading prescriptions for opioids and other drugs in exchange for sex acts or cash. The doctor, who used to treat some of the women involved as their pediatrician when they were children, was part of a scheme that cost Medicare, Missouri Medicaid, and Illinois Medicaid in excess of $114,000, as reported by First Alert 4.
Throughout the proceedings, Spiegel’s defense intermittently tried to dismiss the case, primarily disputing the legality of a cell phone search. Yet federal prosecutors revealed that Spiegel had, during a prior court hearing, lied under oath about consenting to the search. “Dr. Craig A. Spiegel, 69, was charged in March 2024 with 24 federal counts,” according to information provided by Fox2Now. Of these, he only pleaded guilty to three counts: illegal distribution of controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute said substances, and making false statements related to health care matters.
In addition to the overarching ramifications of his opioid prescriptions, it was discovered that one victim, a woman who had been prescribed medication by Spiegel, tragically died from an overdose on April 4, 2022. This detail adds a grave dimension to the already troubling accusations against the former pediatrician. Moreover, Spiegel admitted to prescribing controlled substances to his co-defendant, April Bingham, who is reported by KSDK to have sold some of the drugs and to have been personally addicted to them.
Spiegel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2026. He faces up to 20 years in prison and potentially a $1 million fine for each of the major charges related to drug distribution and conspiracy, while the charge of making false statements could also see him serve an additional five years and incur a $250,000 fine. This case has been closely watched, as it involves not only the abuse of medical power but also an appalling breach of trust between a pediatrician and the young individuals he once vowed to safely care for.
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