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By Janelle Griffith and Xuan Thai
Prosecutors in the solicitation of prostitution case against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft have accused two of his defense attorneys of lying.
The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office filed a motion Tuesday asking that attorneys Alex Spiro and William Burck be held in contempt.
Kraft, 77, pleaded not guilty in February to two counts of soliciting a prostitute at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida. Authorities allege he paid for a sex act at the spa on Jan. 19 and again the morning of Jan. 20, hours before the Patriots won the AFC Championship that sent them to the Super Bowl, according to court documents.
Prosecutors claim that in court last week, Spiro falsely accused Jupiter police officer Scott Kimbark of telling other officers he would lie to justify the traffic stop of another Orchids of Asia Day Spa customer.
Burck denied the allegations Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC News, calling them “false, reckless and unethical.”
“Alex Spiro and our firm will not be intimidated by the state attorney and their efforts to smear us with false allegations and will not deter us from defending our client from what we have contended are unconstitutional illegal acts,” Burck said, adding that he plans to file a response in court.
“To us, this is evidence that this is an effort to deflect attention that their officers and lawyers themselves for the state engaged in various acts that are unauthorized and illegal and against the law in this case,” Burck said.
Kraft was one of several men charged with solicitation after police secretly installed cameras at the spa in what authorities initially said was a monthslong investigation into human trafficking. Investigators have since said that there was no evidence of human trafficking at the spa.
Kraft released a statement addressing the charges against him in late March.
“Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing,” he said in part. “The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women.”