Patriots owner Kraft cleared of massage parlor sex charge in South Florida

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2019, file photo, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft points to fans as his team warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. Florida prosecutors said Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, that they will not appeal a court's decision to block video allegedly showing Kraft paying for massage parlor sex, making it likely the charges against him will be dropped. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File) (Bill Kostroun, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

JUPITER, Fla. – New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will not face trial on charges he paid for massage parlor sex.

Florida prosecutors announced Thursday that they are dropping a misdemeanor charge against Kraft after a court blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for sex at the Orchids of Asia spa in Jupiter in early 2019.

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A court ruled last month that the video cameras police secretly installed in the spa violated the customers' right to privacy.

According to a Jupiter police affidavit, Mingbi Shen, 58, of Flushing, New York, was one of two women secretly recorded performing sex acts on Kraft during a Jan. 19, 2019, visit to the spa.

Shen and co-defendant Lei Wang, 45, “both began massaging Kraft,” Detective Andrew Sharp wrote in the affidavit.

Sharp described how Shen can be seen “manipulating Kraft’s penis” and later wiping it with a towel. The affidavit goes on to say how Kraft handed Wang and Shen cash before they finished dressing him.

The alleged incident took place on the eve of New England’s 37-31 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr has said Kraft also visited the business the next morning.

Although he is no longer facing criminal charges, Kraft could still face a suspension from the National Football League.


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