E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Mark Strong Sr., right, and his attorney, Dan Lilley, leave the Cumberland County Court House, on Jan. 18, in Portland, Maine.
It takes 12 to tango.
The prosecution of Mark Strong, who has been accused of helping a Maine woman run a prostitution ring from her Zumba workout studio, has run up against an unexpected series of complications this week as the court failed to seat a jury.
Topping the problems off on Friday, Judge Nancy Mills unexpectedly dropped 46 of the 59 misdemeanor counts against Strong — spurring an immediate appeal by attorneys for the state.
Prosecutors say that the men of Maine were knocking down the doors of Alexis Wright’s Pura Vida dance and exercise studio between Oct. 2010 and Feb. 2012, and that Strong helped Wright run a prostitution ring from the storefront in the seaside town of Kennebunk.
Strong pleaded not guilty in October to 59 counts including promotion of prostitution and conspiracy to commit promotion of prostitution.
All of the 46 counts against Strong dropped by Mills on Friday were invasion of privacy charges related to allegations that Wright videotaped herself with clients.
A separate trial for Wright, who has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts, including 45 counts of engaging in prostitution, is not expected to begin until May.
But four days after Strong’s case was supposed to get under way, the high-publicity, slow-simmering case of small-town indiscretion still does not have a jury.
As of Friday, zero jurors had been seated out of a pool of 140 after a series of closed-door selection proceedings, director of court information Mary Ann Lynch confirmed in an email.
The case in Mills’ court also drew into itself, lobster pot-like, a new round of court filings as Maine Today Media, which owns the local Portland Press Herald, filed to put a stop to the secret voir dire hearings.
After Maine Today Media protested on Tuesday, a trial court at first agreed to open the proceedings, but Strong and his attorney objected, expressing “concerns about the ability to draw an impartial jury if the process used by the court were changed,” according to court documents.
In an affidavit filed Tuesday by Maine Today Media, reporter Scott Dolan said that jury selection went on in the courthouse’s basement while members of the press sat in the hallway outside an empty courtroom.
The closed door sessions were finally halted on Thursday, when the state’s highest court ruled in a 6-1 decision that they had to be opened to the public.
“Everything I’ve done in the past few days has been appealed,” Justice Mills said in court at one point Thursday, according to the Press Herald.
The decision to open up the hearings was precedent-setting for Maine, said Sigmund Schutz, counsel to the Press Herald.
“It’s going to ensure that all aspects of the Alexis Wright trial are conducted in public, at least unless the court makes a decision to the contrary,” he told NBCNews.com.
While it is unclear how long it may take to prepare the court-ordered transcripts of the jury hearings held so far, a confidential juror questionnaire given to the pool was released on Wednesday.
The questionnaire listed 47 people accused of being clients of Wright, and asked if the potential jurors had ever discussed the individual’s cases with friends, family, or co-workers. It also asked if they knew or were related to any of the 72 people who may be called as witnesses in the case.
“You may be shown explicit videos and photographs depicting individuals engaged in graphic sexual acts,” the questionnaire asked. “Would viewing this evidence make it difficult for you to listen to the law and evidence and render a fair and impartial verdict?”
The questionnaire warned of as many as three weeks of testimony, from Wednesday of this week through Friday. Feb. 8. Court broke for the day Friday without a clear date for when testimony may actually begin, Lynch confirmed.
Also in the questionnaire: “If the evidence shows that Alexis Wright was a prostitute, would the fact that defendant Mark Strong had a sexual relationship with her, not for money, make it difficult for you to find defendant Mark Strong not guilty of the crime of promotion of prostitution?”
And: “Do you know Alexis Wright or any member of her family?”
That question gets to the crux of problem with finding jurors: Many townspeople may have gotten to know Alexis Wright all too well -- or known someone who has.
And putting a lid on rampant gossip about the trial might be beyond Mills’ powers. The superior court in Alfred, Maine is only about 15 miles from where Wright operated her Zumba studio in Kennebunk.
The close-knit town of 10,000 was rattled when police began releasing the names of Wright’s alleged clients in October, in one case leading to a local high school hockey coach stepping down from his job.
“Are you a close friend or family member of any other member of the jury pool?” asked the questionnaire jurors were given. “Do you work with any member of the jury pool?”
In fact, Strong’s attorney argued in a motion filed earlier this month that it would be “impossible” to find a York County jury free of some sort of bias against his client.
NBC News correspondent Katy Tur contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
They should just legalize prostitution. It's her body, if she wants to sell it it's her right.
Infidelity is a matter between spouses, not judges. Good for you, fine citizens of Maine, get ready to spend millions of your tax dollars on this one!
haha, good one. a woman having rights
"Ok, ready! Bend.... and stretch....... and....... put your legs behind your ears!!!! Way to go! That's great everybody! You're doing great! Doesn't that feel good!? Just wait til you wake up and feel that burn in your groin tomorrow!!!!!"
"Great workout everybody. Valtrex, Penicillin, and a hot soaking tub will make you feel great"
Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Isn't it interesting how often we forget what it says and means?
How easily Our rights are "Denuded" by the government ?
Prosecutors will say anything, ruin peoples lives, accuse people of heinous crimes in order to get a them to agree to a "Plea Bargain ..." in order to batter them into submission out of fear of the consequences of going to trial ... look how quickly the judge through out the majority of the charges ..
Most prosecutors are evil .... and this case may show to the local citizen of this locality ... just how unjust the system is to the accused.
Lets see what they can really prove ... millions spent on this? ... LUNACY !
what a waste of time.
get the Nevada people in town to show you Maine folks how it's done properly.
big waste of dollars,legalize prostitution? that would only cleanup their act. know a few of these guys on the list,one of them is a contractor from sewerston,me.(that's lewiston to ya'll yessah mistah) fortin, guy is dirt,payback does suck though,haha. what a waste of time and money,like we aren't hurting enough financially in this f@#ked up VACATIONLAND.
There is no country, not any, none that has as high of a percentage of people in jail as the united states of america! We are the very worst in the world! Do you think that this is a good thing?
All bad people or a combination of some bad people and some bad laws.....like this law?
47 accused out of what was first reported as upwards of 150 guys. Damn, so they are saying more than 100 guys have so much pull, not only will their names not be given out, but they won't be accused/arrested/prosecuted?
The Zumba instructor was pretty hot in this case. The article here states men were beating the doors down so obviously she has even more talent. This trial is a joke and the whole weed and prostitution issues should be taxed and legalized. Deficit solved and everyone is really really happy.........
Legalize prostitution! Or, failing that, prosecute, to the full extent of the Law, all parties involved, and that means to one selling, as well as the one(s) buying. As far as the buyers are concerned, why do they buy away from their loving homes? Hmmmmm! Getting something elsewhere that they are not getting at home, eh!
Hummmmmmmmmmm ~~~~~~~~", failing that, prosecute, to the full extent of the Law,......"
Sure lets just make it a capitol offense ..For getting laid, or wanting to , and being willing to pay for it ....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LOL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My question Who's names on these list.
All the Kennedys, Snooki, and Rick Santorum is the latest.
The lists have been public for months.
KimNH, not that list. ;-}
seven- you are CLOSE when you refer to democrats,most of them are!haha.from a true mainah yessah,ya'll cum on up fer a visit now yahere!
Where are the victims in this "crime"?
The taxpayers that are footing the bill to prosecute it.
The poor men who didn't know that she & Mark Strong were secretly videotaping them and keeping records of their indiscretions.
you said it denver,MAINE -the way life should be....no work,no heat,no food but a hellava place to visit! come on up guys spend some MONEY! we need it to pay for this @!$%#!
The 46 dismissed probably were the judges ,cops,lawyers, "prominent" people. I read the first article on this months ago and it stated there were 'prominant people involved. Can you say cover up.
Coral Taxi, the judge dismissed 46 of the charges against Mark Strong, she didn't dismiss any charges against the "prominent people". You may want to read the article next time. Can you say "paranoid"?
those charges they dropped were because they couldn't prove he knew about her filming that chit.
@kim;
Those charges represent victims. Ones who wish to remain anonymous I would Imagine.
Reminds me of the movie, Blazing Saddles, where everyone knew every else in the town, plus all of their last names was Johnson.
They were supposed to release a list of names every two weeks, but only about 40 names were released to the public before they stopped. I guess the Mayor didn't want his name revealed, so they stopped releasing names.
are you from mayun too? how about them "prominent men" huh? did you see the list? they even @!$%#ed that up, people were getting calls,"are you the one in the prostitution scandal?" haha.(would hate it if MY name came out,wasn't laughing at the poor people with the same name as those guys,i was laughing at these prominent men(dem) and that law enforcement guy,haha(enforce this girl!).
Smells like last week's lobstah ...
This guy is going to go free anyway so they might as well drop all charges now. Never know who's name might appear on that list.
look in portlandpressherald.com i think, might be .org don't know. you'll get some info, they released the names and caused a BIG stink up heeya(lot of people with the same name) then had to post their addresses so reporters would leave the other guys(with the same name) alone! cayunt do nuthin rite up heeya nossir nuthin but us hiks upeeya in da woods,an no wat yu can get heeya from thaya!
A prostitution ring was recently busted here in Spokane. It turns out the 'johns' paid with credit cards at the oriental spas, so the list of 'johns' was long. They decided not to publish the list.....I expect it was probably somebody on the list that made that decision.
Well, so much for political correctness. Last week he was a business partner and now this week he is a pimp.
Sorry about the duplication... I was laughing too hard!
I am just curious...why do you want to know who the clients were??
So that people can know who they are laughing at?
Zumba hookin'...guess the Horizontal Bop is just old hat!
Its called 'the forward facing dog' now.
who said pimping is dead (b)itch better have my money before pimp daddy comes home or she is going to get pimped slap and then she is going to pay on her knees
I agree with IXLR8, prostition should be legalized as it is in Congress where the ublic is screwed every time a new Bill is passed with the only penalty being a new tax on the public.
Sadly it is only legal in Nevada. Better regulated than the militia! It's a states rights thing BTW not Federal.
Prostitution is only legal in certain counties in Nevada.
That's true. It does have to go through the state house first though, not federal.
I agree Dan, everyone knows in DC there are some of the best "Call-Girl" (pronounced PROSTITUTION) operations in America available to Congress-people, their lobbyists, politicians, and their friends, but doesn't seem like anything is done about those girls.
pimpin ain't easy obviously
Ohhhhhh Geeeeeeez...Poking Their Nose in everybody elses' Business Again...Damn, ain't nothing sacred anymore?
i think they were poking their nose into something a wright!
Poking their nose in the business of people who were poking their business in someone else's nose.
"Prosecutors say that the men of Maine were knocking down the doors of Alexis Wright’s Pura Vida dance and exercise studio between Oct. 2010 and Feb. 2012"
Thats not accurate. She had female clients knocking down the doors of Alexis Wright’s Pura Vida dance and exercise studio as well. She was an equal opportunity Instructor and Prositute. All aboard!
Prostitution should be legalized. I think what she & this clown did, getting the real names of the men, videotaping them without their knowledge, and her collecting welfare payments from the state of Maine are all vile acts, and they should be punished for that. And this fool Mark Strong should be punished for being stupid and horny. What did he think, that this hot young Zumba instructor was his girlfriend? He's a fat unattractive old fool. I hope his wife takes everything he has.
Gotta keep dat pi mp hand strong.....
& we pay taxes for this,lol. No wonder other countries think we're a bunch of hypocrites. LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION NOW. Each sex worker should be carefully checked for disease. Just think about the billions of dollars gained by decreasing out national debt by legalizing & taxing. Would you prefer to continue paying out of your pockets??? I would like some tax relief. It would make sex workers accountable to society & clean up disease. All of the needless money spent on lawyers & trials would disappear. Shame on this country for not doing this sooner. Obama is the ONLY president in decades who could do this. Ron Rosen, MD
While in theory your arguements seem sound - keep in mind that prostitution is legal is certain area's of the country and there are problems. Also - booze and cigarettes are also legal and there are lots of cases of bootleg products and issues with taxes on those products as well. So legalizing and regulating an item does not solve all problems. Folks will always try to cut corners whever possible.
Pimping ain't Dead! The Ho's just Scare.
Zumba for everyone!!
I have no problem w/whom and how many she spread her legs for... that's her business. I do have a problem with the fact that she videotaped her sexual encounters w/out consent from the john's etc... Also, you know darn well she isn't going to claim her fees for all those encounters on her taxes, she charged them money and therefore she has to pay taxes on this money...had she just had sex for nothing with those concerned, there wouldn't be a case or a problem. You also must ask,what she planned on doing w/these tapes, if she was going to sell them or post them online for a charge, then these are also criminal offenses as well. Bottom line, prostitution should be legalized, she had over 160 clients that they know of, one actually was a woman. Her crotch has got to stink!!! and she had ALL her holes and crevices filled...so much for sloppy seconds, ya could have been number 160...NASTY Cum Cushion Whore!!
At least the Zumba instructor was hot, imagine if she were Courtney Love...
Wonder if she did any women....hmmmmm.....
yeah pup- and their was video out of her "doin' a pup",can't find it anymore
Doc Rosen, Obama has nothing to with it. There's no federal law regarding prostitution. Congress, a federal institution is full of prostitutes.
@Rick
If you talking about political prostitution, I could not have said it better. Some of them even leave the Senate and become Sec. of State.