FAYETTE CITY, Pa. - The mayor of a tiny southwestern Pennsylvania borough will spend a year on probation as part of a first-offender program after he allegedly took numbers bets at a newsstand he owns.
Herbert Vargo Jr., 46, maintains his innocence and did not have to plead guilty to enter the program Monday. His record will be expunged if he completes the probation without incident.
Fayette County prosecutors allege Vargo took his own bets on lottery numbers and paid out winners. State police say they found Vargo's gambling records and $59,300 in a lockbox under his bed, which they want a judge to make him forfeit. Vargo is contesting that, saying relatives gave him the money for his children's college education.
