Items Found in Maine Prostitution Case Described

Nov. 3, 2012
Authorities who searched Alexis Wright's vehicles, workplace and home in February were looking for information related to the former Zumba instructor's website, called Sensual Body Work by Lydia, according to newly unsealed court documents.

Nov. 03--Authorities who searched Alexis Wright's vehicles, workplace and home in February were looking for information related to the former Zumba instructor's website, called Sensual Body Work by Lydia, according to newly unsealed court documents.

"Lydia" was the person who agreed to "unspecified sexual conduct" for money during a recorded phone call with a law enforcement officer, according to a separate affidavit that became public last summer.

Police continued to seek material about Lydia's website and pornography featuring Wright, using the stage name KiKiCu, when they searched the home, insurance office and cars of Mark Strong of Thomaston in July.

Strong is charged with being Wright's partner in an alleged prostitution operation in Kennebunk that has drawn international attention.

Documents unsealed by a judge in Biddeford District Court late Wednesday say a "Domination Fetish sheet" was among the items seized from Wright's home in Wells.

Personal lubricant, baby oil bottles, condoms and other items were taken from the office on High Street in Kennebunk that she rented for a short time this year, the documents say.

The landlord told police that he found a massage table and a camera on a tripod in the office after he and neighboring tenants became suspicious of what Wright was doing there, according to the documents.

Wright, 29, is accused of prostituting herself and secretly recording the encounters. She has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts, mostly charges of prostitution and invasion of privacy but also three felonies related to taxes and illegally receiving public assistance benefits.

The case has drawn so much attention in part because Wright is suspected of keeping a list of more than 150 names of clients, including prominent figures.

Kennebunk police have so far released 39 names of people who have been charged with the misdemeanor of soliciting prostitution, and more names are expected to be released.

Documents say authorities had evidence that the sex acts Wright performed would have generated $150,000 from October 2010 to February 2012.

Strong, 57, has pleaded not guilty to 59 counts, including promotion of prostitution, invasion of privacy and conspiracy.

Among the seized items that police listed in the court documents were an address book, a notebook with names, and a ledger -- authorities say Wright kept "meticulous client records."

Also listed were computer, camera and recording equipment, and a white envelope with $1,000 in cash that was found in Wright's car.

One item on the inventory list is a picture of a Westbrook police officer taken from the master bedroom of Strong's home, but not described further. A "PI Identification & badge" were seized from Wright's office, but it's not clear whose they were.

Strong is a private investigator. His license has expired but is still within the grace period for renewal, according to Lt. Scott Ireland, commander of the special investigations unit in the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Wright was licensed as an investigative assistant under Strong's sponsorship from 2008 and 2010, but did not follow up with her renewal application, Ireland said.

Kennebunk police Lt. Anthony Bean Burpee said he could not comment on any material in the affidavits because of the ongoing investigation.

Deputy District Attorney Justina McGettigan, Wright's attorney and Strong's attorney did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.

Two other affidavits remained sealed Thursday.

During a hearing on the case Oct. 9, Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills said she would have search warrant documents unsealed by that afternoon. She did not specify which ones, and McGettigan, who had requested the seals, did not object.

It's not clear why those affidavits remained impounded.

McGettigan filed motions last week to unseal two of the affidavits in support of search warrants, which a District Court judge acted on late Wednesday.

Sigmund Schutz, an attorney for the Portland Press Herald, said he planned to ask a judge to unseal the other two affidavits.

"We contacted the District Attorney's Office to ask them to lift the seal and they declined, so we'll be asking the court," he said.

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

[email protected]

Twitter: AnnKimPPH

Copyright 2012 - Portland Press Herald, Maine

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