Zumba instructor engages in settlement talks

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Prosecutors and the defense have concluded their first round of settlement discussions in the case of a Zumba fitness instructor charged with prostitution and tax and welfare violations.

Wednesday's closed-door settlement conference focusing on Alexis Wright lasted nearly five hours at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

York County Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gordon said the meeting ended without a plea agreement, but they hope to resume talks at a later date.

The 30-year-old Wright, who attended the session with her attorney, is accused of conspiring with insurance agent Mark Strong Sr. to run a prostitution business in Kennebunk in which she kept detailed records and secretly recorded the sex acts.

A similar settlement conference failed to avert a trial for Strong, who was convicted last week. Sentencing is later this month.