The Jury in the Maine Zumba Prostitution Trial Watched a 45-Minute Sex Video Today
Having never served on a jury, I can't say for sure what is and isn't typical, but this certainly seems unusual: Jurors in the trial of Mark Strong, the alleged co-conspirator/partner of the alleged Zumba madam Alexis Wright, were shown eight videos on Thursday, including one 45-minute video of a woman identified as Wright having sex with a client.
Prosecutors presented the video as a recording of a live Skype chat between Wright and Strong that took place during an appointment with Wright and an alleged client identified as Robert Labonte (61-year-old Robert Labonte, of Saco, Maine, in case you really want to know). A transcript of the video is available at Seacoast Online, but here are some highlights:
A gray-haired man wearing jeans enters the room and he and Wright exchange small talk, with the man asking her about her holidays and her Zumba studio across the street.
Wright tells the man she wrote an email to him while "sitting in class" and that her young professor made her feel old."Wanna make me feel young?" she asks the man, giggling.
The man removes his clothes and Wright lifts her dress over her head, revealing that she is naked underneath.
The video then shows Wright massaging the man before they engage in sex acts.Throughout the video, a cell phone rings three times in the background. The man then redresses.
"How much is it now? How much is the rate now?" he asks.
"Forty-five minutes went up to $250," Wright answers.
The man pulls cash from his pocket and leaves it on the table.
She walks him out, returns to the room and locks the door.
"Hello?" comes a man's voice from the computer. "Did he (inaudible)?"
"Yes, he did," Wright answers. "Shocking."
The sound of money being counted can be heard.
So, just another typical day in a Maine courtroom.
Strong is facing 13 counts related to the promotion of prostitution. 46 charges of invasion of privacy were dismissed earlier in his trial.
[Image via AP]