Prosecutors in Florida drop charges against Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft

All Robert Kraft has left from the incident in Florida is embarrassment and potential action by the NFL. The New England Patriots’ owner will not face a misdemeanor charge after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex. Palm Beach County court records show that the charge was dropped Thursday.

Kraft and numerous others were charged in February 2019 in a multicounty investigation of massage parlors that included the secret installation of video cameras in the spas’ lobbies and rooms.  Police say they recorded Kraft paying for sex acts at the Orchids of Asia spa on consecutive days in January 2019. Kraft pleaded not guilty but issued a public apology for his actions.

Palm Beach County court records show that the charge was dropped Thursday. The Associated Press reports court records show that the owner and manager of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa are still facing numerous felony charges related to running a house of prostitution.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found last month that Jupiter police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the spa in early 2019. The court then blocked use of the video footage at trial.

The recordings, which have not been made public, are the only known evidence the men paid for sex. Of the other 21 men charged, 14 cases were dropped Thursday and three were dropped earlier, court records show. Two men went through a diversion program, paying more than $5,000 in costs. One pleaded guilty last year and paid $323 in court costs.

Kraft’s attorneys have already filed a motion asking that the recordings be destroyed so they could never be released to the public. They said Kraft might be willing to pay the state’s costs if anyone challenges a destruction order.

However, Kraft made not be totally in the clear. He could still face punishment from the NFL.