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New Document Shows Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Could Soon Face Felony Charge in Prostitution Case

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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft could face a felony charge in a Florida prostitution sting if prosecutors are able to win their appeal of a lower court ruling that favored Kraft, according to a published report.

A court filing from the Florida Attorney General’s Office indicates that Kraft, who originally faced misdemeanor charges, could face a third-degree felony charge, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Kraft was charged last year as part of a sting that led to charges against about 300 men at a number of Florida spas, Fox News reported.

However, the video evidence supporting the charges against Kraft was thrown out by a judge in May.

The judge ruled police lacked a legal “sneak-and-peek” warrant over the five-day span when they continuously recorded activities at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida.

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Prosecutors had tried to submit a document that exceeded the regulations for length, a tactic that was rejected after Kraft’s attorneys objected.

“That the State here is seeking to criminally prosecute one of its citizens — using evidence obtained during a dragnet video surveillance scheme that breaks from Fourth Amendment constraints agreed on by other courts — hardly entitles it to special dispensation or sympathy,” wrote lawyers Frank Shepherd and William Burck, who are representing Kraft.

Although the document was withdrawn, the Sun Sentinel filed a report on the document while it was part of the public record.

“The investigation at issue here culminated in numerous felony charges against the owner, manager, and employees of the Spa. In addition, any person who purchased prostitution services on multiple days, as Mr. Kraft did, committed a felony,” the document said.

Do you think Kraft should face a felony charge for his actions?

Deputy Solicitor General Jeffrey Paul DeSousa said police were interested in more than low-level offenders, thus justifying their surveillance tactics.

“Finally, this Court need not turn a blind eye to the fact that investigations into illicit prostitution schemes often yield evidence of more serious crimes, including the modern-day slavery that underlies the felony offense of sex trafficking,” DeSousa said in the document.

Converting misdemeanors to a felony is considered unusual.

“I literally have never seen that enhancement used in any county,” defense attorney Jack Fleischman, who is not part of the case, told the Sun Sentinel. “It has to be rare.”

The core issue in the case is whether the police acted properly in their surveillance of the spa, which captured individuals receiving normal massages as well as those having sex.

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The state’s appeal said “police must be afforded greater leeway” to fight crime, “though it is of course preferable that no customer be recorded receiving a lawful massage.”

“Mr. Kraft’s guilt is a virtual certainty” based on the now-banned videos, the state said.

Kraft’s attorneys said “drastic, invasive” surveillance was wrong for “investigating alleged offenses like prostitution.”

They urged the appeal be rejected because the “specter of renewed criminal prosecutions hangs like a Sword of Damocles” over the 78-year-old Kraft.

This wasn’t the only bad news for the Patriots owner over the weekend. His team missed out on a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs by losing to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Instead of having the week off, New England (12-4) will host the Tennessee Titans (9-7) in a wild-card game Saturday night.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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