Couple convicted of prostitution for second time

ST. LOUIS -- For the second time in six months, a suburban St. Louis couple was convicted of prostitution for conducting what they claim were educational sex seminars.

St. Charles County Judge William Rader issued the latest guilty verdict Friday. He also sentenced Tom and Suzi Wahl to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

But the judge said the jail time would be suspended as long as the couple refrains from holding anymore sex seminars in St. Charles County, where the Wahls live.

In May, a St. Louis County jury found the Wahls guilty of the same crime after a sting operation there ended in arrest. In that case, the couple were told they were being hired for a party for a newly divorced man.

The Wahls, both in their 40s, admitted during the trial that they had performed a sex act at the motel that night and had been paid $360. But they said that it was not prostitution because they did not have sex with anyone in the audience.

On Friday, Tom Wahl promised to appeal the case "to the highest court in the land." He added, "And I will win."

The Wahls already have appealed the St. Louis County conviction.

Prosecutors said what the Wahls did was prostitution because they charged a fee for rendering sexual service. One of the seminars took place in front of two police officers who posed as an engaged couple.

The seminar is called "Systematic Sexuality: A Presentation in Advanced Sexual Techniques." The couple admit they have no formal educational training. Rather, they say their expertise is based on their own marital experiences and conversations with others.