WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WHDH/AP) — A judge could decide on Friday to release videos that prosecutors say show New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paying for and receiving sexual acts at a Florida massage parlor.
Attorneys for Kraft, who is one of 24 men charged in the solicitation case in Jupiter, had filed a motion to suppress any videos of Kraft, claiming that the cameras the officers hid inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa violated constitutional privacy protections.
Attorney Jack Goldberger previously said that police “deliberately misrepresented” facts used to get a judge to approve their search warrant.
The cameras were installed in January after officers used an undisclosed ruse to gain access to the spa. They then used the cameras to monitor employees and customers over several days.
Jupiter was part of a multi-county investigation of massage parlor prostitution and possible human trafficking that resulted in the arrests of about 300 men and the closure of 10 spas.
The spa owners have been charged with felonies.
Kraft’s attorneys allege Jupiter police had enough evidence to close down Orchids of Asia long before they installed the video cameras.
A number of news outlets, including ESPN and the Associated Press, have requested the videos be publicly released.
Kraft, 77, is accused of paying for sex acts at the spa twice in January. He has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution. In a recent apology, he said he has “extraordinary respect for women.”
Kraft, who is worth $6 billion, was chauffeured to the Orchids of Asia spa on the evening of Jan. 19, where officers secretly recorded him engaging in a sex act and then handing over an undetermined amount of cash, according to police.
He allegedly returned 17 hours later and was again videotaped engaging in sex acts before paying with a $100 bill and another bill before taking off to attend the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, where the Patriots knocked off the Chiefs.
Prosecutors have offered to drop the charges if Kraft and the other men enter a diversion program for first-time offenders.
A second hearing will be held later this month to determine if the videos can be used as evidence in the case.
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