Robert Kraft was at spa hours before heading to KC for AFC title game: documents
When the news came Friday that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had been charged with soliciting sex at a spa in Jupiter, Fla., police said he made two visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.
On Monday, court documents say Kraft was at the spa fewer than eight hours before the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Chiefs on Jan. 20 at Arrowhead Stadium.
New England won 37-31 in overtime and advanced to Super Bowl LIII, which it also won.
Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg has charged Kraft with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution. Aronberg said Kraft will be issued a summons that is similar to a traffic ticket and assigned a day to appear in court. Most people charged for the first time with soliciting are eligible for a diversion program where they pay a small fine, perform 100 hours of community service and attend a class where they learn about the dangers of prostitution and how it is often tied to human trafficking.
“The larger picture, which we must all confront, is the cold reality that many prostitutes in cases like this are themselves victims, often lured to this country with promises of a better life, only to be forced to live and work in a sweat shop or a brothel performing sex acts for strangers,” Aronberg said.
Kraft is one of hundreds of men charged in recent days as part of a crackdown on prostitution occurring in massage parlors between Palm Beach and Orlando. Ten spas have been closed.
Authorities investigated the parlors for months, gathering enough evidence through observation, interviews with men stopped leaving the spas, trash bin searches and surveillance of their owners. Judges then issued warrants allowing them to secretly install cameras inside the spas to record what transpired.
The NFL released this statement on Monday about Kraft: “Our Personal Conduct Policy applies equally to everyone in the NFL. We will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the Policy. We are seeking a full understanding of the facts, while ensuring that we do not interfere with an ongoing law enforcement investigation. We will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts.”
After his alleged visit to the spa, Kraft was at Arrowhead at least an hour before kickoff, walking down the sidelines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Robert Kraft was at spa hours before heading to KC for AFC title game: documents."
