Zumba Instructor Alexis Wright Gets 10 Months In Jail For Prostitution, 'Nauseating' Business Partner Only Receives 20 Days

Alexis Wright, 30, was "relieved" to be sentenced to 10 months in jail Friday for her prostitution business which drew over 150 clients, but her business partner, Mark Strong, only received 20 days.

"In my eyes I'm free. I'm free from this. And I have an incredible amount of strength that I knew was in me somewhere. Now that I have the strength I want to encourage others to come forward," she said to Justice Nancy Mills.

"I want them to know that there's at least one person out there who'll believe their story, no matter how crazy it seems."

According to The Huffington Post, the then single mother was "manipulated" by Strong to start a prostitution business where she videotaped clients without their knowledge.

The resulting 18-month period made Wright $150,000 tax-free, while she collected more than $40,000 in public assistance.

Wright was sentenced with 20 counts, including prostitution, conspiracy, tax evasion, and theft by deception. Strong, 57, was convicted of 13 counts related to promotion of prostitution.

Strong, a married father-of-two, allegedly lured Wright with a purported model career and was later manipulated into believing she would become an "operative working for the state to investigate all manner of sexual deviants."

Wright's attorney, Sarah Churchill, attested that Strong used Wright's troubled background, including her history of sexual abuse, to manipulate her.

However, Deputy District Attorney Justina McGettigan felt otherwise.

"The state believes she and Mark Strong were equal partners and that she played an active role in the operation," she said.

During the trial, overwhelming electronic evidence such as text messages, E-mails, and Skype recordings were presented to the court.

"I feel like this is going to be a good week," wrote Wright to Strong two days before her arrest.

But Churchill stood by her description of the relationship between Wright and Strong, which included an affair, as "incredibly complex."

"It's my intention to stand up for what is right. When I'm out, I'm going to pursue helping people fight through situations that are similar to mine," said the former Zumba instructor.

"I'm optimistic that something good will come out of this."

Wright's husband, Jayson Trowbridge, left the proceedings without any comments.