ST. LOUIS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri pediatrician on Thursday admitted prescribing pain pills and other controlled substances in exchange for sex acts, nude photos or cash.
Craig A. Spiegel, 69, also admitted lying in a prior court hearing when he accused police of misconduct.
Spiegel 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. As part of his plea, he admitted engaging in a pattern of issuing prescriptions for controlled substances beginning at least as early as 2014 through May 2023, knowing that it was illegal and that there was no legitimate medical purpose to the prescriptions. Spiegel wrote prescriptions for numerous adult women in exchange for sexual acts or sexual 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. Spiegel knew many of the women because he was their pediatrician when they were children.
Spiegel admitted that one woman performed sex acts, typically at his pediatrics office in Bridgeton, Missouri, or provided him with nude photos of herself, in exchange for pain pills or Adderall. Spiegel issued prescriptions to another woman, including an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a stimulant and/or a muscle relaxer despite knowing that she had a severe substance use disorder and was at high risk of overdose. He also admitted pressuring the women into engaging in sex acts or providing him with nude photos.
Spiegel also admitted prescribing controlled substances to his co-defendant, April Bingham, 48, in exchange for sexual favors. He knew that she was selling some of the drugs, and that she was addicted. He prescribed drugs to Bingham using the names of her ex-husband, mother and friends in part to take advantage of their insurance benefits, his plea says. Bingham introduced Spiegel others who paid him or performed sex acts in exchange for controlled substances.
The Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and Illinois Medicaid programs suffered losses totaling $114,480 as a result of Spiegel’s illegal prescription practices.
Finally, Spiegel admitted lying in an April 2025, hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis during which he sought to suppress evidence found on his cell phone. Spiegel falsely claimed, in court and under oath, that he had not signed a consent form authorizing the search of his cellular phone until after the cellular phone data had been extracted by investigators. Spiegel lied in an effort to accuse officers of the Bridgeton Police Department of illegally searching his cellular phone.
Spiegel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2026. The charges of conspiracy and illegal distribution of controlled substances are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The charge of making false statements is punishable by five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Bingham pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. She was sentenced in 2024 to 21 months in prison.
Individuals with concerns about Dr. Spiegel should call the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) at 800-447-8477.
The Bridgeton Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the HHS-OIG, the FBI, and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the case.
