Prosecutors Pushing to Elevate Kraft’s Prostitution Charge to Felony, Says Report
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Florida prosecutors are raising the stakes in New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s fight against prostitution charges.
It’s been nearly a year since the 78-year-old part-time Palm Beach resident paid for sex acts at a Jupiter, Florida massage parlor.
Arguably, Kraft has been the most successful NFL owner in history.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to the Sun-Sentinel on Friday, "Lawyers for the state are arguing for the first time that Kraft — charged with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution — actually committed a felony. The latest court filing from the Attorney General’s Office suggests Kraft could face a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, if the state wins its appeal of a lower court order favoring the billionaire.”
According to the Sun-Sentinel, “Observers across the country view it as a constitutional test that pits police powers to investigate crimes — specifically the authority to use secret cameras — against individual privacy rights."
Florida is challenging a judge’s order in May that tossed all evidence against Kraft, including sex videos that cops surreptitiously recorded during their prostitution sting.
The judge ruled police did not have a lawful “sneak-and-peek” warrant when surveillance cameras ran continuously for five days at Orchids of Asia Day Spa.
Latest in Kraft Spa Legal Fight
As GoLocal reported in October, an expose written by Vanity Fair’s May Jeong outlines the behavior demonstrated by Robert Kraft and the details of his engagement of prostitutes.
Jeong outlines the wealth, influence and power of the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and his changed behavior after the passing of his wife 2011.
“In 2010, Myra, referred to by some as the ‘smartest Kraft,’ fell ill with ovarian cancer. During the NFL lockout in 2011, Kraft spent his days negotiating with union representatives, then came home each evening to rub Myra’s feet. She died later that year, and Kraft’s life became a boat you forgot to tie up,” writes Jeong.
Kraft was charged with soliciting a prostitute in February.
The cost of his half an hour massage was $59.
“Among the patrons who turned up on the surveillance video at Orchids was Robert Kraft, the 78-year-old owner of the New England Patriots. Kraft, who visited the spa on the afternoon of January 19, spends part of the year in a double oceanfront apartment he owns on Breakers Row, among the most coveted addresses in Palm Beach. Earlier that day, according to a man I spoke with who asked to be identified only as Kraft’s “best guy friend,” Kraft had gone to the hotel spa for a massage. When he was unable to get an appointment, he conferred with his old friend Peter Bernon, the dairy and plastics tycoon who also lives in Palm Beach. Bernon offered to drive Kraft in his 2014 white Bentley to a place he knew in Jupiter, 20 miles up the Treasure Coast,"
At Orchids, according to the Jupiter police, Kraft paid cash to the spa’s co-owner, Lei Wang, who goes by Lulu, and received a hand job from her and another worker, later identified as Shen Mingbi. After Kraft ejaculated, Mingbi wiped his penis with a white towel. Then she and Lulu helped him get dressed."
The Vanity Fair not only details the prostitution but also the lifestyle lives in one of the world's most influential and wealthy communities.
"Breakers Row—home to mostly Jewish residents, including Robert Kraft—is referred to by the island’s WASPs as the Gaza Strip. The clubs are so exclusive, local legend has it, that Burt Reynolds was once turned away at the door on account of his dark skin color. Even Joseph Kennedy Sr. was reportedly spurned on account of his Catholic faith. Besides, his money was deemed too new. “It’s new if it was made in the past century,” explained Debi Murray, chief curator of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.
Related Slideshow: Robert Kraft Solicitation of Prostitution Charges - 2019
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