Disgraced Oak Park Doc Faces Federal Charges

A former Oak Park physician is facing new charges after authorities said a federal investigation revealed his scheme to trade prescriptions for sex and cash dates back nearly five years.

Joshua Baron, a former pediatric neurologist, was arrested after a sting operation in January. Authorities said he'd been corresponding with undercover detectives via email, then traveled to Wilmette where he thought he'd be meeting a woman to give her prescriptions for Adderral in exchange for sex.

Earlier:

Since then, authorities with the Drug Enforcement Administration broadened their investigation and discovered Baron had placed 68 ads on the online classified site Craigslist between 2007 and 2011, offering to trade prescriptions for a host of painkillers and anti-anxiety pills in exchange for sex and cash.

This is a typical post to the Craigslist "Casual Encounters" section, as outlined in the complaint: “Do you need Xanax or Adderall? - m4w...Let me know what you are willing to trade, and please send a pic.”

Federal agents interviewed three people who said Baron wrote them prescriptions in exchange for sex acts or money. According to the complaint, the transactions were drug trades, pure and simple: Responders to the ads weren't Baron's patients, they didn't visit his office, and he didn't take a medical history, examine or attempt to diagnose them.

Baron, 37, had worked at three Chicago hospitals, Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital of Cook County, and St. Anthony’s Hospital.

According to a previously published Rush University Medical Center profile, Baron had been a pediatric neurologist with "a particular focus in epilepsy, particularly in neonatal epilepsy and the interactions between sleep and epilepsy. He has ongoing trials in examining sleep symptoms in children with epilepsy, as well as studies to evaluate novel pharmaceuticals."

Baron and his family were featured in a Wednesday Journal story outlining their quest to adopt a blind Chinese boy. He created another blog where he writes about no longer practicing medicine and life as a stay-at-home father.

In federal court Thursday, the state's charges stemming from the Wilmette arrest were dropped in favor of a federal charge of one count of attempted distribution of a controlled substance containing amphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Baron was released on his own recognizance. Authorities said Baron has voluntarily surrendered his medical license and his DEA registration.