A Maine Zumba fitness instructor who used her studio to run a prostitution ring has pleaded guilty and faces time in jail. The case has captivated the quiet town that sits on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean known more for beaches and expensive homes than for prostitution rings.
Alexis Wright’s plea agreement calls for her to spend 10 months in jail, but spares her and her clients from a high-profile court trial that would feature exhibitionism, sex videos along with pornography. The judge announced that Wright would be sentenced on May 31.
Wright answered guilty to charges against her on Friday each time the judge read out the 20 counts. Included in the counts are promotion of prostitution, prostitution, tax evasion, theft by deception and conspiracy.
Wright, 30, was accused by authorities of conspiring to run a prostitution ring with Mark Strong Sr., an insurance agent.
She kept very detailed records that showed she earned over $150,000 over a period of one and a half years. The prosecution also accused her of placing hidden cameras to video the sex acts of clients without their knowledge.
She originally faced 106 charges, but some were thrown out and all were reduced to misdemeanors. Strong, who is 57, was convicted earlier in March of 13 counts and was sentence to just 20 days behind bars. He had been originally charged in 59 counts.
A scandal broke out when media reports said that over 150 clients were involved and many started guessing who the clients were. Attorneys who gained access to the list said that some names of prominent figures appeared on the list. Those already charged for soliciting prostitution include a hockey coach, a former mayor, a lawyer, a fire fighter and a minister.
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