Kraft case melts

THE misdemeanor sex-for-cash case against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been dropped. Kraft and some two dozen other customers at the notorious Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., were let off the hook by Palm Beach County prosecutors after an appellate court barred the use of secretly recorded video from the alleged brothel, Dave Aronberg, the county’s state attorney, told reporters. “Without these videos, we cannot move forward with our prosecution,” he said. Separate felony prostitution-related charges remain against the spa’s owner and manager. Kraft, 79, was not mentioned by name by the state attorney; he was originally charged in February 2019. But some of Aronberg’s remarks appeared aimed at the NFL honcho. “Let me be clear, our office will never be intimidated and our No. 1 position is to seek justice,” the attorney said, repeating that the charges were only dropped against the alleged “Johns” because “our hand was forced” by the courts. “The Orchids of Asia Day Spa was a notorious brothel in a family shopping center right next to a game room that attracted children,” Aronberg said. Prosecutors first tipped their hand earlier this week when they said they would not challenge an appeals court ruling that significantly weakened their case by banning them from using secretly obtained incriminating surveillance video. The appeals court ruling found that the surveillance video violated the right to privacy because some of the footage showed customers getting legitimate, non-sexual massages, reported The Post’s Laura Italiano.