Doctor who traded drugs for sex pleads guilty to federal charge

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Chicago doctor who traded prescription drugs for sex pleads guilty to federal charge

• Pediatric neurologist Joshua D.

  Baron admitted writing 149 prescriptions in exchange for sex  that included Adderall, Xanax and morphine

• He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but will likely get between nine and 11 years due to plea deal
• Baron posted ads on Craigslist under the section ‘Men Who Would Pay’ and ‘Casual Encounters’

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Published: 17:00 BST, 23 March 2014 | Updated: 17:33 BST, 23 March 2014

A suspended doctor from Chicago, Illinois who admitted he wrote almost 150 prescriptions for controlled substances such as Percocet and Xanax to 16 people in exchange for sex has pled guilty to a federal charge.

Joshua D.Baron, 40, pled guilty Friday in federal court to a charge of illegally distributing a prescription drug in exchange for sex in 2009. He was freed on his own recognizance as he awaits sentencing on June 30.

Baron faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1million fine.Due to his plea, however, he will likely get between 9 and 11 years, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Baron, a former pediatric neurologist who lives in Oak Park about 10 minutes from downtown Chicago, was first licensed by the state in 2006.He treated patients until 2011 at several Chicago hospitals, including the prestigious Rush University Medical Center.

He also gave up his medical license and Drug Enforcement Agency registration in 2011.

From 2006 through 2011, Baron has admitted to writing 149 people prescriptions for drugs to 16 people, none of whom were his patients.He also posted at least 78 ads on Craigslist offer to trade drugs under sections titled, ‘Men Who Would Pay’ and ‘Casual Encounters.’

The controlled substances he prescribed included pain killers, such as morphine, as well as tranqullizers and the weight-loss drug Phentermine.

Baron was first charged by the state in January 2011 following an undercover sting operation conducted by the Willamette Police Department. Federal charges followed in October of the same year.

He was arrested after he went to a location expecting to trade a prescription for Adderall — approved to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder but frequently abused as it is similar amphetamine, a stimulant — in exchange for sex from a woman.