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Seaside town in uproar over ‘Zumba Madam’s’ list of 150 clients

Posted at 4:13 PM, Oct 16, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-16 16:13:19-04

KENNEBUNK, ME (CBS News) – It is a story that sound like something almost out of "Peyton Place."

A New England seaside town in turmoil over a prostitution scandal after police released a list of 21 men who allegedly paid for sex with a fitness instructor.

Alexis Wright, 29, was once best-known in town for teaching Zumba, a Colombian-inspired form of dance fitness.

Local newspaper editor Laura Dolce told CBS News' Seth Doane that when Wright arrived in town in 2009, she was a young single mother that introduced Zuma to the town.

"People thought she was great, she opened her own studio," Dolce said. "Pretty soon, though, people started to suspect there was a lot more going on there."

Dolce, of the York County Coast Star, started digging into the story a year ago after receiving tips that there were pornographic videos online centered around the studio.

Since then, Wright has been charged with running a prostitution operation out of her Kennebunk, Maine exercise studio.

Late Monday, Kennebunk police released a list of 21 people who were issued summons to appear in court, each charged with paying Alexis Wright for sex.

And police are believed to be combing through a list of more 150 possible "sex clients".

"The List," as it is known in the small town, has had folks buzzing for months because many suspect it represents a cross section of society.

"The lawyers have said all along that they believe other lawyers are on that list, they believe government officials are on that list… that there are business owners on that list," Dolce said.

Exactly who is in Wright's little-black-book is the question on everyone's mind in this quiet community.

Watch the above video for more on this story.