SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Police say a robbery investigation led them to arrest the victim in that crime for child sex trafficking.
Scottsdale police say 64-year-old Richard Vairo was robbed at the La Quinta near the Loop 101 and Shea Boulevard on August 5, 2018. Looking into that robbery led detectives to a 16-year-old girl who said she had sex with Vairo at the hotel for $300.
The girl told police Vairo "wanted her to be his sugar baby and that he wanted her to have sex with some of his friends who were also sugar daddys," according to a probable cause statement.
Text messages from the girl's phone showed a series of conversations between her and Vairo, including arrangements for her to have sex him and arrangements he made last July for her to have sex with two of his friends.
Police said Vairo and the girl met at the La Quinta shortly before he was robbed.
When interviewed, Vairo told investigators he had bought the girl clothing, dinner and a nail appointment and had hung out with her in hotel rooms, but denied having sex with her.
Vairo was arrested and booked on three charges of child sex trafficking, all class 2 felonies. A judge set his bond at $100,000.
