Robert Kraft Pleads Not Guilty to Solicitation Charges

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft
has pleaded not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor solicitation of
prostitution in a Florida case, according to court documents
released Thursday.

Kraft's attorney Jack Goldberger filed the written plea with the
Palm Beach County court on Wednesday. Kraft, 77, is requesting a
non-jury trial.

Kraft was among hundreds of men charged in a crackdown on massage
parlor prostitution and an investigation into human trafficking at
Florida spas. Ten spas have been closed and several people, mostly
women originally from China, have been charged with running the
operation.

Jupiter, Florida, police say in court documents that Kraft was
chauffeured to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in a 2014 white Bentley
on the evening of Jan. 19, where investigators say they videotaped
him engaging in a sex act and then handing over an undetermined
amount of cash.

Kraft returned 17 hours later, arriving at the upper-middle class
shopping center where the spa was located in a chauffeured 2015
blue Bentley, the documents said. Kraft, who is worth $6 billion,
was videotaped engaging in sex acts before paying with a $100 bill
and another bill, police said. He then flew to Kansas City to watch
his Patriots defeat the Chiefs in overtime hours later.

Kraft's team then defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl
two weeks later, their sixth championship since the 2001 season.

Under Florida law, if Kraft is convicted, he would be required to
complete 100 hours of community service, attend a class on the
dangers of prostitution and its connection to human trafficking and
pay a $5,000 fine. He could also get a year in jail, although that
is unlikely.

He could also enroll in a diversion program. He would still have to
perform the community service, attend the class and pay a fine, but
he would avoid a criminal record.