JUPITER, Fla. (AP) \u2014 New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces misdemeanor charges of soliciting a prostitute after he was twice videotaped receiving a sex act at a Florida massage parlor, police said Friday in a case that could get him in trouble with the NFL.<\/p>\n
The 77-year-old Kraft denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
He was not immediately arrested. Jupiter police said a warrant will be issued and his attorneys 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.<\/p>\n
The charge comes amid a crackdown on sex trafficking from Palm Beach to Orlando in which police planted cameras in massage parlors.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr said he was shocked to learn that Kraft, who is worth $6 billion, was paying for sex inside a shopping-center massage parlor, the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. \u201cWe are as equally stunned as everyone else,\u201d Kerr said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The NFL did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Under league policy, players, owners, coaches and other employees can be punished for \u201cconduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in\u201d the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cOwnership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline,\u201d the policy says.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Kraft lives in Massachusetts and has a home in the Palm Beach area. Though he is a Democrat, he is friendly with President Donald Trump and a frequent guest at Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago club. Kraft\u2019s wife, Myra Hiatt Kraft, died in 2011. He has been dating 39-year-old actress Ricki Noel Lander since 2012.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Kraft\u2019s representatives said they \u201ccategorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese girls are there all day long, into the evening. They can\u2019t leave and they are performing sex acts,\u201d Currey said, according to TCPalm. \u201cSome of them may tell us they\u2019re OK, but they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kraft, who made his initial fortune through a packaging company, bought the Patriots in 1994 for $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.<\/p>\n
In 2007, the Patriots got in trouble for filming other teams\u2019 signals. The NFL fined the team $250,000 and Belichick $500,000. In 2014, Brady was accused of delating game footballs to gain a better grip. He served a four-game suspension, and the Patriots were fined $1 million.<\/p>\n
Kraft was not implicated in either scandal.<\/p>\n