Indicators of prostitute solicitation against Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, have been dropped, according to court records filed by Florida prosecutors.
In an earlier statement, attorneys said they would not seek to overturn a state appeals court decision that barred the use of at-trial surveillance recordings. It featured Kraft enjoying sexual services at the Jupiter, Florida-based massage business Orchids of Asia Day Spa in exchange for cash.
In the early months of 2019, Kraft made his second visit to the massage parlor hours before he watched his Patriots upset the Chiefs in Kansas City, Missouri, in the AFC Championship Game, leading to their sixth Super Bowl triumph.
What Did Robert Kraft Do That Sparked Controversy?
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The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, was accused of requesting prostitutes in Florida. Nevertheless, the prosecution decided to dismiss the case after being refused access to a Police surveillance film that would have backed their case.
The move was expected after the Florida attorney general’s office said on Monday that it would not appeal a decision by an appeals court that forbade the release of footage showing Kraft obtaining sexual services.
The most convincing and arguably the only reliable pieces of evidence against the 79-year-old millionaire, who had entered a not-guilty plea in the case, were the tapes. They have never been made widely known.
But the chief prosecutor also called the Orchids of Asia Day Spa “a notorious brothel,” He backed the local Police’s action in opening an investigation that led to the criminal accusations against Kraft and twenty other persons. The accusations against those other guys were also dropped as a result of the appeal court’s ruling.
Robert Kraft’s Accusations of Prostitution
After a state appeals court ruled that the footage of Robert Kraft shot by a police-installed camera inside the Orchids of Asia spa had been obtained unlawfully and would not be admissible at trial, prosecutors in Florida dropped the misdemeanor prostitution charges against Kraft.
However, the tale did not finish there. Three Orchids of Asia employees—two of whom Kraft was said to have patronized—have pleaded guilty to prostitution-related crimes.
In addition to hundreds of dollars in penalties, court fees, and cash forfeitures, they must serve months on probation. Another employee had previously pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to the 60 days she had already served in custody while awaiting her case’s resolution.
At Orchids of Asia, Kraft and twenty-five other persons were charged with first-degree misdemeanors for soliciting prostitution. Two times, including the morning of the New England Patriots AFC Championship victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2019, investigators caught sight of Kraft on a concealed camera inside the spa.
Robert Kraft avoided prosecution for crimes
The NFL owner apologized for his actions but pleaded not guilty and mounted a vigorous defense. In August, a Florida appeals court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that Kraft and other sting participants’ Fourth Amendment rights were violated by the “sneak and peek” search warrant used to collect the video.
Because they knew they would almost definitely lose, the prosecution opted not to appeal the case to the Florida Supreme Court and dismissed the charges against Kraft, arguing that they couldn’t establish their case without the video evidence.
Even though Kraft is no longer facing criminal charges, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has the authority to sanction him by the league’s personal conduct policy. A request for an update on the league’s probe through email did not immediately elicit a response.
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