Robert K. Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, has been offered a deal that includes paying a fine and doing community service in return for admitting that if his soliciting prostitution case were to go to trial, the prosecutors would win. The prosecutors in Palm Beach County, Fla., offered the deal to Mr. Kraft and 24 other men who last month were arrested on misdemeanor charges of buying sex at the Orchids of Asia day spa in Jupiter, Fla. The police and prosecutors say the massage parlor is the focus of a wider investigation into human sex trafficking in several counties in Florida. Mr. Kraft — who faces two misdemeanor counts — and the other 24 men have been charged only with soliciting prostitution; they have not been charged with any crimes in connection to sex trafficking. News of the plea offer was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The investigation into sex trafficking is still continuing, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney’s office in Palm Beach County.<doc-sep>Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is facing charges of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution, has a deal on the table that would result in the charges against him being dropped. But if he takes the offer, he'll also have to admit that he would've been found guilty if the case had gone to trial. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed with The Palm Beach State Attorney's Office by the Associated Press on Tuesday, Kraft and 24 other men charged with soliciting prostitution have been offered the following deal: admit they would've been found guilty, do 100 hours of community service, complete a class on the dangers of prostitution, and pay $5,000 per count in exchange for the charges being dropped, spokesman Mike Edmondon told the AP. So, why wouldn't Kraft accept the deal? ESPN's Michele Steele provided one reason why he would reject it: If Kraft takes the offer and in the process, he essentially admits guilt, he might make it easier for the NFL to discipline him under the personal conduct policy. Robert Kraft and the other men charged w solicitation have a choice - either 1) essentially admit guilt in what amounts to a plea deal from Florida prosecutors & have the charges dropped, or 2) go to court and contest the charges & try to clear your name. — Michele Steele (@ESPNMichele) March 19, 2019 If Kraft accepts this deal, the NFL would then have bargaining power on him to then punish him under the personal conduct policy. For that reason alone, he might choose to fight the charges. — Michele Steele (@ESPNMichele) March 19, 2019 While the offer was described by the AP as a "standard diversion program offered to first-time offenders," the WSJ noted that the condition that would require Kraft to essentially admit guilt is unusual. Kraft, who has been charged with two counts, has denied that he "engaged in any illegal activity." The charges that Kraft is facing each carry a maximum jail sentence of one year, according to the Boston Globe, although the State Attorney has said that first-time offenders aren't likely to get maximum jail time. According to a probable cause affidavit that was released on Feb. 25, Kraft is accused of visiting the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida on Jan. 19 and 20 (the day the Patriots beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, which Kraft attended), where he allegedly received manual and oral sex from women in exchange for money. According to the documents, police identified him in addition to capturing the sex acts on video surveillance. Kraft, 77, has owned the Patriots since 1994. Under his ownership, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls.<doc-sep>According to the charging documents, Kraft was led to the massage parlor’s back room, where he allegedly engaged in a sex act with a female worker. He handed the worker $100 and another bill that was unidentifiable, according to the complaint.<doc-sep>Billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being offered a deferred prosecution plea deal to resolve charges accusing him of paying twice for sex with a prostitute at a Florida shopping center massage parlor. The deal would allow Kraft and 24 other men charged in the Orchids of Asia Spa prostitution case in Palm Beach County to enter a program for first offenders in exchange for an admission they would be found guilty, a prosecution spokesman said Tuesday. “The offer of a deferred prosecution agreement with several conditions to first-time offenders is standard in cases like this,” Palm Beach State Attorney David Aronberg said. He denied a Wall Street Journal report that described the plea offer as an “unusual deal” because it would require an admission of guilt if the case went to trial. NEARLY $200G, SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT SEIZED FROM FLORIDA SPA LINKED TO ROBERT KRAFT CASE, RECORDS SHOW Aronberg spokesman Mike Edmonson said those who enter the program would be required to perform 100 hours of community service, attend a class on the dangers of prostitution and pay $5,000 per count. Kraft was charged with two counts last month. Upon completion of the program, misdemeanor soliciting prostitution charges would be dropped. Edmonson said none has accepted so far. Kraft has denied wrongdoing. One of his attorneys, Jack Goldberger, did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment. Another, William Burck, did not immediately return a call from Fox News. Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team would have no comment. FOUNDER OF SPA WHERE ROBERT KRAFT WAS ACCUSED OF SOLICITING PROSTITUTION ATTENDED TRUMP’S SUPER BOWL PARTY: REPORT About 300 men have been charged and ten massage parlors closed in multiple counties between Palm Beach and Orlando as part of a crackdown on illicit massage parlors and human trafficking. Several operators and employees have also been charged. Police said in court papers that Kraft, 77, was captured by a hidden camera paying for sex at Orchids of Asia on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20. Police installed the camera as part of the investigation. Hours later, Kraft was in Kansas City for a playoff game. His team then won the Super Bowl in Atlanta, the Patriots' sixth NFL championship under his ownership. Court papers say many of the workers at the massage parlors targeted in the investigation were forced to live at the spas and were not allowed to leave without an escort. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Terry Spencer Associated Press Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Florida prosecutors have offered a plea deal to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged with paying for illicit sex at a massage parlor. The Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office confirmed 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 deal offer was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team would have not comment. About 300 men have been charged and 10 massage parlors closed in multiple counties between Palm Beach and Orlando as part of a crackdown on illicit massage parlors and human trafficking. Several operators and employees have also been charged. 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 Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. According to police records, the 77-year-old Kraft was chauffeured to the massage parlor in a 2014 white Bentley on the evening of Jan. 19, 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, arriving at the upper-middle class shopping center where the spa was located in a chauffeured 2015 blue Bentley, the documents said. Kraft, who is worth $6 billion, was videotaped engaging in sex acts before paying with a $100 bill and another bill, police said. Hours later, he was in Kansas City for the 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 to record what transpired. 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.