Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged with soliciting prostitution
If you're a fan of hating on the New England Patriots, you're probably enjoying a bit of schadenfreude right about now.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with "two misdemeanor counts of soliciting a prostitute" on Friday, part of a widespread Florida investigation into prostitution and potential sex trafficking. The announcement came just a day after Deadspin noted some peculiar NFL-related questions at a press conference about arrest warrants being issued.
As of early Friday afternoon, Kraft had yet to be arrested on the charges. The incidents allegedly happened at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida and authorities say they have video evidence supporting their case against Kraft.
An attorney for Kraft denied the allegations.
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In all, 10 such spas were shut down across a part of Florida that also included Orland and Palm Beach County, according to CBS Miami.
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The first arrests were made on Tuesday and have continued, two of which came from the spa that Kraft is alleged to have visited.
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On Thursday, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey expressed hope the arrests from the investigation would "put a heck of a dent in human trafficking and sex trade" in the area, according to Treasure Coast News.
He continued:
"These girls are there all day long, into the evening. They can't leave and they're performing sex acts," Currey said. "Some of them may tell us they're OK, but they're not. We know that … even though we may have charges on some of them, we'd rather them be victims."
Over 50 arrests have reportedly been made and nearly 200 warrants have been issued so far in relation to the widespread investigation. Kraft is the highest profile person to have been named in the sweep so far.
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
