Alleged ‘Zumba Madam’ pleads not guilty to prostitution charges

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A Zumba instructor in Maine and her business partner pled not guilty Tuesday to charges of running a prostitution ring out of her dance studio for a year and a half.

According to WCSH-TV, while Alexis Wright and Mark Strong denied the allegations, prosecutors were chastised for not giving their defense team enough time to go over the evidence brought against them — hundreds of hours of videos, dozens of text messages and about 13,000 photos.

The Portsmouth Herald reported that the two were indicted on Oct. 3; Wright faces 106 counts on charges including engaging in prostitution and tax evasion. Strong is accused of 59 counts of charges ranging from promotion of prostitution to violation of privacy for allegedly videotaping Wright’s activities.

The newspaper also reported that Justice Nancy Mills ruled Tuesday not to seal materials related to the case, including a list of client that allegedly contains more than 100 names, except for a hard drive, allegedly taken from Strong’s computer, that might contain child pornography.

ABC News’ report on Wright’s case, aired Wednesday, can be seen below.