Calgary

Woman pleads guilty to running bawdy house out of salon

A woman accused of running a bawdy house and exercising influence for the purpose of prostitution out of a northwest Calgary hair salon pleaded guilty Monday.

Linh To admits she tried to sell two women for $8,000 and kept a bawdy house

Linh To, 54, pleaded guilty Monday to keeping a common bawdy house and exercising influence for the purpose of prostitution. (Nassima-Alexandra Ennahdi/CBC)

A woman accused of running a bawdy house and exercising influence for the purpose of prostitution out of a northwest Calgary hair salon pleaded guilty Monday.

Linh To, 54, was arrested in 2009 after police conducted undercover stings at the Alternative Hair Design salon at 4105 Fourth St. N.W. and at two homes in Calgary.

To was also charged with conducting human trafficking, but that charge was later dropped.

To was accused of offering undercover police officers sexual services while posing as a hairstylist at the salon.

Police also said To negotiated to sell two adult Chinese women to the undercover officers for $8,000 while suggesting they were teenagers.

To pleaded guilty to keeping a common bawdy house and guilty to exercising influence for the purpose of prostitution.

The woman sat quietly as the crown outlined the case and evidence against her.

She nodded her head a few times in agreement when Crown prosecutor Brian Holtby said the main goal of the young women was to make as much money as possible through prostitution.