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Associated Press

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces misdemeanour charges of soliciting prostitutes after he was twice videotaped receiving a sex act at a Florida massage parlour, police said Friday in a case that could get him in trouble with the NFL.
The 77-year-old billionaire Kraft denied any wrongdoing.

He was not immediately arrested. Jupiter police said a warrant will be issued and his lawyers will be notified. They said details about the charges against the owner of the Super Bowl champion team will not be released until next week.
The charge comes amid a crackdown on sex trafficking from Palm Beach to Orlando in which police planted cameras in massage parlours.
Super Bowl 53: Tom Brady claims record sixth title as Patriots beat Rams 13-3
Hundreds of arrest warrants have been issued in recent days as a result of a six-month investigation, and more are expected. Ten spas have been closed, and several people have been taken into custody on sex trafficking charges.
Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr said he was shocked to learn that Kraft, who is worth US$6 billion, was paying for sex inside a shopping-centre massage parlour, the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. “We are as equally stunned as everyone else,” Kerr said.

Most people charged for the first time with soliciting a prostitute in Florida are allowed to enter a diversion program, said attorney David Weinstein, a former prosecutor. Kraft would probably have to perform 100 hours of community service and attend a course on the harmful effects of prostitution and sex trafficking, he said.
US sex trafficking a US$2.5bn business
The NFL did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Under league policy, players, owners, coaches and other employees can be punished for “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in” the NFL.
“Ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline,” the policy says.

The Patriots won the Super Bowl this month over the Los Angeles Rams for their sixth NFL championship in the past 18 seasons, making them the most successful team in pro sports during that span.
Patriots owner ‘took initiative’ to drop Deflategate appeal, says NFL chief
Kraft lives in Massachusetts and has a home in the Palm Beach area. Though he is a Democrat, he is friendly with US President Donald Trump and a frequent guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Kraft’s wife, Myra Hiatt Kraft, died in 2011. He has been dating 39-year-old actress Ricki Noel Lander since 2012.
In a statement, Kraft’s representatives said they “categorically deny that Mr Kraft engaged in any illegal activity.”

Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey, whose agency has been involved in the sex-trafficking investigation, told reporters earlier this week that the prostitutes are victims who have been trapped into the trade.
“These girls are there all day long, into the evening. They can’t leave and they are performing sex acts,” Currey said, according to TCPalm. “Some of them may tell us they’re OK, but they’re not.”
Putin offers to buy New York Patriots owner Robert Kraft a Super Bowl ring
Kraft, who made his initial fortune through a packaging company, bought the Patriots in 1994 for US$172 million to keep the team from moving to St Louis. He hired Bill Belichick as coach in 2000, and the team later drafted quarterback Tom Brady, launching its nearly two decades of success.
In 2007, the Patriots got in trouble for filming other teams’ signals. The NFL fined the team US$250,000 and Belichick US$500,000. In 2014, Brady was accused of deflating game footballs to gain a better grip. He served a four-game suspension, and the Patriots were fined US$1 million.
Kraft was not implicated in either scandal.


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Human trafficking

Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of NFL’s New England Patriots, is charged with soliciting prostitutes at Orchids of Asia parlour

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and girlfriend Ricki Noel Lander celebrate after his team won the Super Bowl in Atlanta on February 3. Photo: USA TODAY

FILE PHOTO: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., February 3, 2019. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

Jupiter, Fla., Police Chief Daniel Kerr speaks during a news conference Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Jupiter, Fla., where they announced that they have charged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution. (Olivia Hitchcock/Palm Beach Post via AP)

JUPITER, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Mark McGuire, a N.Y. Giants football fan, stands near the front door of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is charged with allegedly soliciting for sex on February 22, 2019 in Jupiter, Florida. Mr. Kraft was caught up in a law enforcement operation in South Florida that netted hundreds of johns over the past two weeks. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 14, 2016, CEO of The Kraft Group, Robert Kraft (R) and actress Ricki Lander attend the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Irving Azoff in Beverly Hills, California. - Kraft, owner of the reigning NFL Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and a friend of US President Donald Trump, was charged on February 22, 2019, with soliciting another to commit prostitution, police in Jupiter, Florida, said. The 77-year-old was charged in connection with an investigation into an illegal massage parlor operation, Jupiter police chief Daniel Kerr said. (Photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Patriots owner ‘took initiative’ to drop Deflategate appeal, says NFL chief

Roger Goodell, right, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in a file photo from May 2014. Photo: AP

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady poses with NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell during a news conference where Goodell presented Brady with the MVP award from the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game in February. Photo: AP

Tom Brady insists he did nothing wrong. Photo: Reuters

Putin offers to buy New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft a Super Bowl ring

Vladimir Putin holds the Super Bowl ring as he shakes hands with Robert Kraft, watched by News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch. Photo: AP

Vladimir Putin puts the ring on his finger on June 25, 2005. Photo: AP

Super Bowl 53: Tom Brady claims record sixth title after New England Patriots beat Los Angeles Rams 13-3

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates his sixth Super Bowl victory. Photo: USA TODAY Sports

Feb 3, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick celebrates with granddaughter Blakely after beating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Football - Super Bowl LIII - New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. - February 3, 2019. New England Patriots' Sony Michel scores their first touchdown. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

epa07341736 New England Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman kisses the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 03 February 2019. EPA-EFE/LARRY W. SMITH

Ex-state senator in Oklahoma sentenced to 15 years for child sex trafficking

Ralph Shortey last year. Photo: Cleveland County Sheriff's Office via AP

Germany smashes massive Thai sex trafficking ring in ‘biggest ever’ raids

The ring ‘specialised’ in a niche for transsexual prostitutes

German police, which also involved Germany's GSG9 special operations police unit, holds a camera as they raid sites across the country, in a crackdown on human trafficking and forced prostitution in Maintal, south of Frankfurt, Germany, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Doorbell buttons are pictured as German police, which also involved Germany's GSG9 special operations police unit, raid sites across the country, in a crackdown on human trafficking and forced prostitution in Bonn, Germany, April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

The federal police force said that a record 1,500 officers swooped on more than 60 brothels and flats in 12 of Germany’s 16 states. Photo: EPA

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Robert Kraft, whose New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champions, was twice videotaped receiving a sex act at a Florida massage parlour, police say
The billionaire, 77, denies wrongdoing after he was caught up in a massive police sting against sex trafficking


Robert Kraft, whose New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champions, was twice videotaped receiving sex acts at a Florida massage parlour, police say. The billionaire, 77, denies wrongdoing after he was caught up in a massive police sting against sex trafficking.


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Cindy Yang

Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of NFL’s New England Patriots, is charged with soliciting prostitutes at Orchids of Asia parlour

Robert Kraft, whose New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champions, was twice videotaped receiving a sex act at a Florida massage parlour, police say The billionaire, 77, denies wrongdoing after he was caught up in a massive police sting against sex trafficking

Robert Kraft, whose New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champions, was twice videotaped receiving a sex act at a Florida massage parlour, police say

The billionaire, 77, denies wrongdoing after he was caught up in a massive police sting against sex trafficking