Patriots owner Robert Kraft now required to appear at his March 28 hearing in Florida to face charges of soliciting prostitutes or a warrant for his arrest could be issued
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, 77, is now required to appear at his arraignment hearing in Florida on March 28 to face charges of soliciting prostitution
- Kraft was previously expected to be represented by an attorney in the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida courthouse, but a recent filing mandated his presence
- He pleaded not guilty and has publicly denied any criminal wrongdoing in the case, which was part of a larger probe into human trafficking at Florida spas
- Kraft could face between sixth months and a year in jail, in addition to a mandatory 100 hours of community service and a mandatory $5,000 fin
- However, according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, jail is not usually considered for first-time offenders, which is the case with Kraft
Robert Kraft is now required to appear at his arraignment hearing in Florida on March 28 to face charges of soliciting prostitution. He was previously expected to be represented by an attorney in the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida courthouse, but according to court papers released Thursday, the 77-year-old billionaire ‘must be present at this hearing’ or a warrant could be issued for his arrest
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is now required to appear at his arraignment hearing in Florida on March 28 to face charges of soliciting prostitution.
He was previously expected to be represented by an attorney in the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida courthouse, but according to court papers released Thursday, the 77-year-old billionaire ‘must be present at this hearing’ or a warrant could be issued for his arrest.
Kraft has pleaded not guilty and has publicly denied any criminal wrongdoing in the case, which was part of a larger investigation into human trafficking at Florida spas and massage parlors.
He could face between sixth months and a year in jail, in addition to a mandatory 100 hours of community service, a mandatory $5,000 fine, and a mandatory class on the dangers of prostitution and human trafficking. However, according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, jail is not usually considered for first-time offenders, which is the case with Kraft.
For his defense, Kraft has hired two well-known attorneys.
According to court filings, Kraft will be represented by William A. Burck, who previously worked in the George W. Bush White House and reviewed documents for the U.S. Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, as well as Jack Goldberger, who defended billionaire and registered sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Kraft was among hundreds charged in a multi-department investigation into massage parlor prostitution and human trafficking at Florida spas. Thus far, ten spas have been closed and several people, primarily women from China, have been charged with running the prostitution ring.
According to police records, Kraft visited the Orchids of Asia day spa twice in a 24-hour span in January.
The first visit occurred on January 19, when Kraft allegedly received hand stimulation from 45-year-old spa manager Lei Wang and a 58-year-old spa employee named Shen Mingbi.
According to police records, Kraft visited the Orchids of Asia day spa twice in a 24-hour span in January.
The first visit occurred on January 19, when Kraft allegedly received hand stimulation from 45-year-old spa manager Lei Wang and a 58-year-old spa employee named Shen Mingbi.
Neither Wang nor Mingbi are believed to be victims of human trafficking.
According to the affidavit, Kraft paid both women with a $100 bill.
Wang has been arrested and charged with maintaining a house of prostitution, but Mingbi has not been charged.
The second visit occurred on January 20, before Kraft flew to Kansas City for the AFC Title game.
That day, Kraft received oral sex from Wang, who is known as ‘Lulu.’
Kraft allegedly paid her with a $100 bill and another unidentified bill before leaving.
Police say there is video evidence of everyone accused of solicitation in the case.
However, lawyers for some of the men have filed court motions to keep the videos from being made public, arguing their clients were recorded without their consent.
In a SunSentinel report, Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office spokesman Michael Edmondson said each police department decides how to handle such footage before a case goes to trial.