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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution, according to court records.

"The Defendant, Robert Kraft, hereby pleads not guilty to all charges and requests a non-jury trial," Jack A. Goldberger, Kraft's attorney, wrote in a filing -- reviewed by USA TODAY Sports -- to Florida's 15th Judicial Circuit Court.

Kraft was originally scheduled to be arraigned on April 24, although the hearing was moved to March 27. By entering a plea before the arraignment, Kraft avoids having to attend the arraignment in person.

Kraft faces a 10-day minimum sentence and a maximum of up to two years in jail if convicted on both charges, although it's expected he would be offered a pre-trial diversion program by prosecutors. Prosecutors could agree to drop one of the charges as part of a plea deal, which would allow Kraft to avoid any jail time.

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CrottyKid said:

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Who was the bigger name?

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Macarthur said:

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Yeah, I'm no legal expert, but one would think with his money and attorneys, he could plea down to almost nothing and pay a fine.

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Over the past two years, Yang has racked up a who's who of photos with politicians at more than a dozen political events. She has enough pictures of the president's private clubs to fill an album.

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In 2018, she attended a Safari Night at Mar-a-Lago hosted by the president's sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, as well as the White House's celebration of the Lunar New Year at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. She took photos with Florida's soon-to-be-governor, Ron DeSantis, at a pro-Israel gala held at Mar-a-Lago, met U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao in Washington D.C., and posed with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz and former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. She also posted a photograph of herself with DeSantis at a restaurant, saying she was having "brunch this morning with Florida's next Governor."

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She was photographed with Donald Trump Jr. at a winter Mar-a-Lago gala for Turning Points USA, the conservative college organization, and met Eric Trump last month.

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In January, she attended the Sunshine Ball in Washington D.C. hosted by Rick Scott, snagging a photo with the newly elected senator.

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She has also posted photos of herself meeting conservative celebrities, including former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, onetime Trump administration adviser Sebastian Gorka, Fox News host Jesse Watters, commentator Dan Bongino and actor Jon Voight.

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Prosecutors have offered New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and several other men a deal in which charges would be dropped for soliciting prostitution, a source told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

But there is a catch: Kraft and the other men would have to review the evidence and admit they would have been proven guilty at trial, the paper reported.

Kraft pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of first-degree solicitation. His court date is set for March 28.

It's not known whether Kraft or the others will accept the conditions of the deal, which includes completing 100 hours of community service, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, completing a course about prostitution and paying some court costs, the paper reported.

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Legal experts have raised questions about the tactics Jupiter, Fla., police used in obtaining search warrants for an investigation they said was intended to stop a growing human trafficking problem.
Prosecutors and law-enforcement officials had described the investigation as a probe into human trafficking and portrayed the men who patronized the spas as contributing to the demand for sex slavery. In announcing the charges, Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, had called human trafficking "evil in our midst," echoing the rhetoric of law-enforcement officials.
But no one has been charged with human trafficking in the case. Prosecutors' affidavits have not detailed evidence of human trafficking at Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

"The police are making this case that this is a major human trafficking ring, and that's why it's so serious," said Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor and managing partner of Tucker Levin, PLLC who is not connected to the case. "The fact that they had cameras installed in the locations for so long somewhat undermines the claim that there was an extraordinary danger to the people working in the establishment."

The Jupiter Police Department began its investigation in October, according to affidavits and in January installed covert surveillance equipment. Men who visited the spas, including Mr. Kraft, were seen engaging in sex acts and identified after their visits on traffic stops, according to court documents. Legal experts have said the traffic stops could be argued as pretextual.

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Agsrback12 said:

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Were there supposed to be other names in addition to Kraft? What happened to that?

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Attorneys for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft filed a motion Wednesday to suppress evidence -- notably the video evidence -- in his solicitation of prostitution case, according to a source.

The motion is an effort to make sure that the surveillance video, described as graphic and damning, isn't released if he doesn't reach a plea deal with prosecutors. It also is a warning shot to prosecutors that Kraft's legal team will try to go after the state's case by saying there was no probable cause to collect the evidence in the first place.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney's office offered Kraft and 24 other men a diversion deal Monday night that would allow the men to avoid prosecution if they meet certain conditions. A diversion deal would expunge their cases and seal all evidence.

Under the initial deal that was offered, prosecutors would drop misdemeanor solicitation charges if the men pay $5,000 fines for each offense (Kraft was charged with two), complete an educational course about prostitution, submit to testing for sexually transmitted diseases and admit in court that they would have been found guilty had the case gone to trial.

It's that last point that could derail a deal.

A source close to Kraft said, "That's not going to happen," and said the 77-year-old would rather fight the charges in court than admit to a crime. Sources said that the two sides were continuing to negotiate and that Kraft had not rejected the deal outright.

If Kraft accepts a diversion program offer, it means that, in a legal sense, the incident never happened. But he would also essentially be admitting to the facts of the case, which alleges that he received sexual services at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, on Jan. 19 and 20. Kraft has never specifically denied receiving sexual services at the spa, but through a spokesperson denied having committed a crime.

Kraft is said to be especially concerned about having his name connected to accusations of sex trafficking. When law enforcement officials first announced the arrests of spa operators last month, they described it as a sex trafficking case. But documents show that the two women Kraft is accused of receiving services from likely were not trafficked: one is 39 and was charged with operating illegal activity at the spa; the other is 58. Both have valid driver's licenses, and both are licensed as massage therapists by the state of Florida. So far, no one in the case has been charged with human trafficking.

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bonfarr said:

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Prosecutors may threaten to release the surveillance video to media if he doesn't sign the plea.

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Bobby Petrino`s Neckbrace said:

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bonfarr said:

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Prosecutors may threaten to release the surveillance video to media if he doesn't sign the plea.

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Kraft's attorneys file motion to suppress video evidence:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26315681/source-kraft-files-motion-suppress-evidence

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Bobby Petrino`s Neckbrace said:

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The same Sheriff who allows his cops to make unlawful arrests.

Got it.

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"We've looked at . . . the law around the warrant for the video surveillance inside the spa, and we think it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment," William Burck said, via Emily Smith of the New York Post. "We also believe the traffic stop [made by police as the men left the spa] was illegal and a violation of the Constitution. . . .

"The state attorney should take a look how the evidence in this case was obtained by the police and explain how this evidence passes Constitutional muster, because we don't see it."

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Burck also pointed out that prosecutors have refused to agree to keep the video confidential, forcing Kraft's lawyers to take the matter to court.

"We put in a motion for a protective order of the evidence in this case, a standard request in any case to keep evidence protected until trial especially since the video evidence supposedly contains private moments between [two or more] people," Burck said. "We've been surprised and disappointed that the state attorney did not sign on to the protective order, because it is a standard procedure in a criminal case. They declined to agree to the protective order."

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aggie-master said:

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The whole investigation seems like it was run by some creepy old perverts. They probably watch the videos when alone at night.

I wish we had a system where consenting adults could legally do things like Kraft likes to do. It might even be easier to catch traffickers if it were legal and regulated.

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Bobby Petrino`s Neckbrace said:

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Neither. This is how it will play out. Wait and see.

Do you enjoy seeing abuse of our Constitutional law?

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