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Topline
Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday, saying thay can’t move forward because courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for sex at a massage parlor on consecutive days last January.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft looks on prior to Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco … [+]
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Key Facts
Kraft and 24 other men were charged in February 2019 in a multi-county investigation of massage parlors, in which police secretly installed video cameras in the spas’ lobbies and rooms.
The Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal found last month that Jupiter police violated the rights of the accused by installing the video cameras inside massage rooms at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa and blocked the use of the video at trial, reportedly the only known evidence Kraft and others allegedly paid for sex.
Prosecutors had argued they needed the recordings to convict the spa owners of felonies and said the owners must be shown receiving payments from the prostitutes, and the only way to get that is to install cameras.
Prosecutors decided not to appeal that decision to the Florida Supreme Court, saying the loss might have “broader, negative implications” on future law enforcement investigations beyond the Kraft case.
Kraft’s attorneys have filed a motion asking that the recordings be destroyed and said Kraft might be willing to pay the state’s costs if the destruction order is challenged.
Kraft pleaded not guilty but issued a public apology for his actions.
Chief Critic
“Without these videos we cannot move forward with our prosecution,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said during a press conference Thursday. He said he was “disappointed” by the appeals court ruling but said he understood the attorney general’s decision not to appeal the ruling. “It is not a lack of will that caused us to drop the charges in the spa cases,” he added.
Crucial Quote
“I am truly sorry,” Kraft said in a statement last March. “I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard.”
Tangent
Kraft bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1994. It is now worth $4.4 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates, and has six Super Bowl wins.
Further Reading
Patriots owner Kraft cleared of massage parlor sex charge (Associated Press)
AP Investigation: Florida gets tougher on massage-parlor sex (Associated Press)