Zumba Scandal Reveals Names Involved in Prostitution Ring

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The names of 21 people who are suspected to have been involved in a New England town's recent Zumba sex scandal have been released Monday.

Police in Kennebunk, Maine released the first batch of more than 100 men accused of paying a fitness instructor who operated as a prostitute through her Zumba dance studio.

Attorney Stephen Schwartz said that releasing the names could cause "devastating consequences" and that the state will not be able to prove the charges, reported CBS News.

While the suspected clients were named, their ages and addresses were concealed in order to protect the community reputations of those involved.

Residents have heard that the list includes lawyers, law enforcement officers, and other well-known members of the community, according to the Inquistr.

In the weeks ahead, rumors will continue to brew as other names are mentioned in police activity reports, which are issued every other week.

Meanwhile, the instructor, Alexis Wright, is charged with turning her dance studio into a brothel in the beach community, and secretly videotaping her encounters.

Police believe that the 29-year-old woman may have earned $150,000 after engaging in prostitution over the course of 18 months, reported the Huffington Post. She had arrived to the small New England town in 2009 and began teaching the Columbian-style form of dance fitness.

"When she arrived here … She was this sort of wonderful, young single mom that was introducing this Zumba craze to the town," recounted local newspaper editor Laura Dolce, according to CBS News. "Pretty soon, though, people started to suspect there was a lot more going on there."

Wright pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, invasion of privacy and other charges. Moreover, her business partner, 57-year-old insurance agent and private investigator Mark Strong Sr. has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor charges.