The Controversy regarding Robert Kraft sparked after his prostitution charges were dropped.
The New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is no longer facing charges of soliciting prostitution, according to court documents filed by Florida prosecutors.
Attorneys had previously stated they would not attempt to reverse a state appeals court ruling that prohibited them from introducing at-trial surveillance videos. It showed Kraft receiving sexual services for payment at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, a massage parlor in Jupiter, Florida.
Hours before he watched his Patriots defeat the Chiefs in Kansas City, Missouri, in the AFC Championship Game, which led to their sixth Super Bowl victory, Kraft made his second trip to the massage parlor in the early months of 2019.
Robert Kraft Sparks Controversy: What Did He Do?
Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner, was charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida. Still, the prosecution dropped the case after being denied access to Police surveillance footage that could have supported their claim.
The action was anticipated after the Florida attorney general’s office announced Monday that it would not ask the state’s highest court to overturn an appeals court ruling that barred videos of Kraft receiving sexual services.
The videos against the 79-year-old billionaire, who had pleaded not guilty in the case, were the most potent and possibly the only genuine pieces of evidence. They have never been made public.
The top prosecutor, however, also referred to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa as “a notorious brothel,” He defended the local Police’s decision to launch an inquiry that resulted in Kraft and two dozen other men being charged with crimes. The appellate court’s decision also led to the dismissal of the charges against those other men.
Robert Kraft Prostitution Charges
Prosecutors in Florida dropped misdemeanor prostitution charges against Robert Kraft after a state appeals court determined that video of Kraft taken by a police-installed camera inside the Orchids of Asia spa had been obtained illegally and would not be admissible at trial.
But the story didn’t end there. Three Orchids of Asia employees, two of whom Kraft was accused of patronizing—have entered guilty pleas to charges related to prostitution.
They are subject to months of probation and thousands of dollars in fines, court costs, and cash forfeitures. One other worker had already entered a guilty plea in February and was given the 60 days she had served as detention while awaiting the outcome of her case.
Twenty-five people were charged with first-degree misdemeanors for soliciting prostitution at Orchids of Asia, including Kraft. Investigators have twice seen Kraft on a hidden camera inside the spa, including once the morning of Kraft’s Patriots’ AFC Championship victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2019.
Robert Kraft Escaped Criminal Charges
The NFL owner expressed regret for his behavior but entered a not-guilty plea and put up a strong defense. In August, a Florida appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision that the “sneak and peek” search warrant used to obtain the footage violated the Fourth Amendment rights of Kraft and other people involved in the sting.
Prosecutors decided not to appeal the case to the Florida Supreme Court and dropped the charges against Kraft because they knew they would almost certainly lose, claiming they couldn’t prove their case without the video evidence.
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Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, has the discretion to discipline Kraft by the league’s personal-conduct policy even though he is no longer charged criminally. An email seeking an update on the league’s investigation did not receive a response right away.
