A married Trafford couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating a sex business from their home this year.
Police said Robert Wargo, 53, and his wife, Kayla Wargo, 35, solicited and hosted men for sexual encounters at their Fairmont Avenue residence during daytime hours.
Investigators contended they opened the investigation in March after learning about social media advertisements for sex that linked to an address and telephone listing in Trafford.
After watching the residence, police detained three men who admitted to paying $150 for half-hour sexual sessions with Kayla Wargo. Her husband was accused of collecting payment from the men and creating cover stories with them in case they were questioned by police, according to court records.
Robert Wargo pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of promoting prostitution and one offense for possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears to serve five years on probation.
Kayla Wargo, who authorities said is pregnant, pleaded guilty to seven counts of prostitution and was ordered to serve one year on probation and complete an inpatient drug rehabilitation treatment program. She will remain in jail pending additional court hearings on other offenses, the judge said.
The Wargos told the judge it was in their best interests to plead guilty but did not make any additional comments during the court hearing.
“I have no specifics about how and where they got to where they got to,” said Marco Sylvania, Robert Wargo’s defense lawyer.
Public Defender Wayne McGrew, who represented Kayla Wargo, also said he was in the dark about his client’s behavior.
Both Wargos were free on bail until they were arrested in late June on similar prostitution charges by police in Hampton Township. According to court records, the Wargos had drugs in their car when they arranged to meet a police officer posing as a man seeking sex at a GetGo gas station. Preliminary hearings on those cases are set for Aug. 2.
Kayla Wargo remains in custody pending a hearing on the prosecution’s request to revoke her parole in a 2021 drug case in Westmoreland County after she failed to successfully complete a court-ordered drug rehabilitation. According to court records, she was resentenced in April to serve six to 12 months in jail and was released from custody in early June.
In that case, police said Robert Wargo called authorities to have his wife removed from the couple’s home after finding her using cocaine and heroin.
