Massage parlor sex charge dropped against Patriots owner Kraft

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said during an online news conference that without the video recordings of Kraft, 79, and two dozen other men paying for sex at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them.

“We are ethically compelled to drop all cases,” he said. Kraft’s attorneys declined to comment. He could still face suspension or other punishment from the National Football League. The NFL did not respond to a request for comment and the Patriots declined comment. Shortly after being charged, Kraft issued an apology for his actions.

Aronberg said that even though the charges were dropped against the spa’s customers, the felony cases against its owner and manager will proceed using evidence such as bank records.

He said no one should doubt what occurred there. He said rich men from a local country club “lined up” to purchase sex at the spa, which was in a suburban shopping center near a supermarket, restaurants and other businesses.

“The Orchids of Asia Day Spa was a notorious brothel in a family shopping center right next to a game room that attracted children,” he said. “Although we cannot prove human trafficking beyond a reasonable doubt, there was evidence of human trafficking in the overall investigation.”