PORTLAND (AP) — Federal prosecutors said a Portland man has pleaded guilty to driving women from Maine to Massachusetts so they could engage in prostitution. Samuel Gravely pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland to a charge of interstate travel to promote prostitution. Prosecutors said that in March, the 27-year-old Gravely drove the […]
prostitution
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Removing illicit videos, images of Kennebunk Zumba prostitute from Internet ‘all but impossible’
PORTLAND — When Alexis Wright was sentenced five months ago for her role in a high-profile prostitution case in Kennebunk, her attorney said her next challenge would be to track down all the websites illegally profiting from explicit images of Wright. Now, with Wright less than a month from being released early from jail, defense […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill aims to help human trafficking victims clear prostitution convictions
AUGUSTA — A bill proposed by a Scarborough lawmaker would allow Maine’s courts to vacate prostitution convictions from the records of those who are victims of human trafficking. The move is needed because victims of human trafficking often face difficulty moving on from the situation that saw them exploited, and can be haunted by a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Warren woman and her husband charged in prostitution bust
WARREN — A local husband and wife have been charged in connection with alleged prostitution activity following an undercover police sting. Wendy Moody, 37, was arrested and charged Thursday with engaging in prostitution, possessing a useable amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, cultivating marijuana and violating a condition of release, according to Knox County Sheriff’s […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, sj-web
Turner man convicted in Zumba prostitution case
ALFRED (AP) — A Turner man has been found guilty of being a client of a fitness instructor who used her Zumba dance studio in Kennebunk as a front for prostitution. Donald Fortin was convicted Thursday by a York County Superior Court jury of a misdemeanor charge of engaging a prostitute. The Portland Press Herald […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Ex-coach acquitted in Maine prostitution scandal
ALFRED — A former high school hockey coach accused of paying a Zumba instructor for sex was acquitted Tuesday after a judge tossed out prosecution evidence. The trial came to an abrupt halt when Justice Roland Cole barred prosecutors from showing jurors Alexis Wright’s business ledger. The judge previously ruled that Wright didn’t have to answer […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Ex-coach thought he was dating Zumba prostitute
ALFRED (AP) — The first man to go trial on charges that he patronized a prostitute who worked out of her Zumba dance studio contends he thought he was engaged in a romance. Alexis Wright, the fitness instructor who pleaded guilty to running a prostitution business, doesn’t have to answer questions from prosecutors at the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine gets mixed reviews in annual human trafficking report
PORTLAND — Maine has made progress in adopting laws to stem human trafficking, but remains in the bottom half of all states in terms of the strength and breadth of those laws, according to rankings released Wednesday by the national Polaris Project. Wednesday’s state-by-state ratings represented the Washington, D.C.-based anti-slavery organization’s fourth such annual report. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Alexis Wright to appear in trial of man accused of paying her for sex
ALFRED (AP) — The Maine woman convicted of running a prostitution business out of a Zumba fitness studio is headed back to court, this time to fight having to testify at the trial of one of her alleged clients. Alexis Wright, sentenced in May to 10 months in jail, has been subpoenaed by prosecutors to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
TV documentary focuses on prostitution scandal
KENNEBUNKPORT (AP) — A documentary focusing on the prostitution scandal centered at a Zumba fitness studio in Kennebunk, Maine, is set to be broadcast on cable TV. A British production company followed the trials of Mark Strong and Alexis Wright from start to finish, and its one-hour documentary will air Tuesday night on TLC. The […]