Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

WNC -- June 19, 2023; U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena J. King announced Friday that Stephen William Wargo, 30, formerly of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for traveling to Western North Carolina to engage in illegal sexual acts with a minor.

U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Wargo to register as a sexual offender and pay $13,200 in restitution upon his release from prison.

According to judicial documents and proceedings, Wargo initiated communication with a 10-year-old girl via the social media messaging application Discord in September 2021. Wargo engaged in lengthy conversations with the minor victim and made inappropriate romantic overtures on occasion. The parent of the minor victim discovered the communications and turned over the victim's mobile phone to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, according to court documents. A detective assumed control of the minor victim's Discord account and continued communication with Wargo. During this time, Wargo's messages became increasingly erotic, and the two discussed the possibility of Wargo traveling from Georgia to North Carolina to meet the victim. Wargo did travel from Georgia to Henderson County on October 16, 2021, with the intent of engaging in a sexual act with a minor. He was taken into custody upon his arrival at the prearranged meeting location.
Wargo pled guilty on February 27, 2023, to crossing state lines with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a person less than 12 years of age.

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