Robert Kraft’s lawyers want sex video sealed
Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s top-line attorneys went head-to-head Friday with some of Palm Beach County, Florida’s finest prosecutors.
Signed, sealed and never delivered.
That’s how Robert Kraft’s lawyers want his secretly recorded sex video to stay.
The Patriots owner’s top-line attorneys went head-to-head Friday with some of Palm Beach County, Florida’s finest prosecutors — in an attempt to persuade a judge to lock away the spa video, and throw away the key.
Police say the video in question shows Kraft paying for sex acts at a massage parlor.
And prosecutors say Kraft flashed his New England Patriots Super Bowl ring at a police officer who pulled over Kraft’s car just minutes after the alleged solicitation.
According to court documents, Kraft asked the officer if he was a Miami Dolphins fan before showing his ring, and announcing he was the owner of the Patriots.
Friday was not a run-of-the-mill pretrial hearing. Second-degree misdemeanor cases are not typically filled with high-profile attorneys, and 30 subpoenaed witnesses. But then again, this isn’t a run-of-the-mill, second-degree misdemeanor case.
Kraft’s lawyers drilled the lead detective with a three-hour line of questioning, thoroughly reviewing his experience investigating prostitution. They looked through Jupiter Detective Andrew Sharp’s search warrant application line-by-line, with a fine-toothed comb. That warrant allowed him to secretively install cameras inside Orchids of Asia Day Spa.
The defense argument: The camera installation was an illegal search. And furthermore, Kraft’s constitutional right to privacy was violated.
The prosecution argument: Assistant Palm Beach State Attorney Greg Kridos said Kraft’s attorneys must first show that Sharp’s warrant to install cameras in the spa ceiling was illegal, before they can argue that his privacy rights were violated.
They must also prove Kraft “had a legally recognized right to privacy when he was in the spa paying for sex from the prostitute,” Kridos added.
Kraft’s attorney William Burck, who represented former White House Counsel Don McGahn during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, countered, saying there is a substantial case law stating a legal expectation of privacy in such businesses.
Celebrity attorney Alex Spiro, who represents high-profile clients like Mick Jagger, pointed out that Orchids of Asia offered Groupon specials, once promoted on the Town of Jupiter’s website, in its business section. It was also revealed that the spa offered an Early Bird discount to customers who came in before 1 p.m.
Spiro went on to say the spa advertised on websites catering to prostitution.
Kraft, who was not at the hearing Friday, publicly apologized for his behavior, but has pleaded not guilty. Kraft and 24 other men were charged with misdemeanor solicitation for allegedly paying for sex at the day spa. Some of those men have accepted plea deals. Those who have not taken a plea deal would benefit if Kraft’s spa video is thrown out because their attorneys could cite the ruling.
The hearing resumed Friday afternoon, and will not finish until next week.