Prosecutors have dropped prostitution charges against Robert Kraft, the owner of New England Patriots, after two courts blocked the use of video evidence that allegedly shows him paying for sexual acts.
State Attorney David Aronberg wrote in a court document: “Although there was probable cause to make an arrest, the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution.”
The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found in August that Jupiter police violated the 79-year-old billionaire and other people’s rights when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.
Aronberg said in a video press conference: “I stand behind the decision to file the case.
“The Orchids of Asia Day Spa was a notorious brothel in a family shopping center right next to a game room that attracted children.”
The videos are the only evidence implicating the 79-year-old. Through his lawyers, he has requested that the footages be destroyed to prevent them from being publicized.
Kraft’s attorney, Frank Shepherd, wrote: “Only by ordering the State to destroy the Videos and to comply with interim measures securing them can the Court guard against the palpable risk of further leak or misuse and correspondingly vindicate the constitutional principles and rights that are at stake in this case.”
A court judge discarded the recordings, saying the installation of the cameras did not protect the privacy of innocent customers who received massages.
The 4th District agreed and ruled that installing cameras in private areas is an ‘extreme’ measure and should only be done when necessary.
The court ruled: “To permit otherwise would yield unbridled discretion to agents of law enforcement and the government, the antithesis of the constitutional liberty of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
Kraft reportedly visited the Orchids of Asia day spa in Florida two times. During his first visit on January 19, 2019, he received hand stimulation from spa manager, Lei Wang, and an employee named Shen Mingbi. Both women received a $100 bill, according to the affidavit.
During Kraft’s second visit on January 20, 2019, he allegedly received oral sex from Wang. He allegedly gave her a $100 bill before going out.
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Replaced!