Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Implicated in Florida Prostitution and Sex Trafficking Ring
On Friday morning, police in Jupiter, Florida, released the names of 25 individuals connected to a prostitution and sex-trafficking ring centered on the state's Treasure Coast region. Two dozen of the alleged johns are not especially notable; one of them is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
At a press conference, Jupiter police chief Daniel Kerr and detective Andrew Sharp told reporters that Kraft had visited the Orchids of Asia Day Spa on at least two occasions, transported by a driver each time. The spa's clients, Sharp said, paid either $59 per half hour or $79 per hour. The probable cause affidavit, obtained by Deadspin, describes in detail the visits of 26 individuals to the spa, although it does not identify them or match them to names that appear on the list. Kerr and Sharp also confirmed the existence of video evidence, obtained via cameras police secretly planted in the building, of each individual "receiving these prostitution services."
Law-enforcement officials have issued a total of 173 arrest warrants in connection with the six-month sting, which implicates massage parlors across several Florida counties. On Thursday, Vero Beach police chief David Currey alleged that trafficked women were lured to the United States with promises of legitimate employment and then held against their will as sex workers. (The probable cause affidavit includes detectives' observations that the massage parlor's purported employees appeared to be living on site.) Officials in nearby Martin County say the women, many of whom came from China on temporary work visas, averaged about 1,500 men per year; the ringleaders gave them no days off, and their hygiene was "minimal."
A spokesperson for the 77-year-old Patriots owner stated as follows: "We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further." Solicitation of prostitution is a misdemeanor in Florida, where state law subjects first-time offenders to mandatory community service, sex-trafficking-awareness education, STD screening, and payment of a $5,000 civil penalty. At its discretion, a court may impose a prison term of up to one year. A Florida arrest warrant for Kraft, who lives in Massachusetts, is expected to be issued shortly.
