Florida prosecutors have offered a plea deal to the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, after he was charged with paying for sex at a massage parlor.
The Palm Beach state attorney’s office confirmed on Tuesday it has offered Kraft and 24 other men charged with soliciting prostitution the standard diversion program offered to first-time offenders. The men must concede they would be found guilty, perform 100 hours community service, attend a class on the dangers of prostitution and pay $5,000 per count, spokesman Mike Edmondon said. Kraft was charged with two counts last month. In return, the charges of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution would be dropped. Edmondson said none have accepted so far.
Kraft’s attorney, Jack Goldberger, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The Patriots said they did not have a comment on the matter.
Police say Kraft visited the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, twice in late January just before he flew to Kansas City to see the Patriots defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. According to police records, the 77-year-old billionaire was chauffeured to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, on 19 January, where officers say they secretly videotaped him engaging in a sex act and then handing over an undetermined amount of cash. Investigators said Kraft returned 17 hours later, and was videotaped once more engaging in a sex act. Hours later, he was in Kansas City for to see the Patriots beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. His team then won the Super Bowl in Atlanta, the Patriots’ sixth NFL championship under his ownership.
Kraft has denied wrongdoing. The NFL has not taken any action against him but has said its personal conduct policy “applies equally to everyone in the NFL” and it will handle “this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the policy.” Kraft’s wife, Myra Hiatt Kraft, died in 2011. He has been dating 39-year-old actress Ricki Noel Lander since 2012.
Authorities investigated the parlors for months, gathering evidence through observation, interviews with men stopped leaving the spas, trash bin searches and surveillance of their owners. Judges then issued warrants allowing them to secretly install cameras inside the spas. Many of the alleged operators and workers were born in China and Chinese translators are being used to interview women connected with the businesses, according to court documents. The documents said many of the workers were forced to live at the spas and were not allowed to leave without an escort.