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Zumba Prostitution: Instructor Sentenced to Jail

By Brett Snider, Esq. on May 31, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Former Zumba instructor and prostitute Alexis Wright was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Friday for her part in a Maine prostitution ring that involved more than 100 clients.

Wright expressed her relief when the judge sentenced her according to her plea agreement, saying that despite her upcoming jail sentence, "In my eyes I'm free," reports the Associated Press.

The single mother-turned-prostitute pleaded guilty to 20 counts, and in addition to jail time, she'll have to pay some restitution.

Zumba Prostitution in Kennebunk

The multiple misdemeanor charges for prostitution stem from Wright running a Zumba studio by night, and running a brothel by day.

Prosecutors were not pursuing her just for being promiscuous in a traditionally conservative town (which boasts the summer home of former President George W. Bush). Wright was able to make $150,000 tax-free from her illegal sex work, reports the AP.

Not only was she making beaucoup bucks peddling non-Zumba related aerobic activity, she was also continuing to collect welfare benefits during her 18 months as a dance studio solicitrix.

Welfare Fraud

Prosecutors in Wright's case originally charged her with welfare fraud as a felony, although it was reduced to a misdemeanor after she agreed to the prosecution's plea deal.

Wright made a net gain of approximately $40,000 in public assistance, according to state prosecutors' estimates, and as part of her plea bargain, the state will get $57,280 back.

Restitution

Criminals generally have to make payments to compensate the victims of their crimes, especially if that victim is a state or local government.

This principle of giving victims what was taken from them does not apply to all crimes, as persons who pay for illegal services, like Wright's sex clients, are not entitled to a refund.

Wright is not being punished by being sentenced to pay $57,280 in restitution, she's simply required to pay back part of what she unlawfully took.

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