Kraft Visited Prostitute Hours Before AFC Championship Game: Court Docs

A probable cause affidavit released by Florida prosecutors on Monday alleges that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sought out sex acts with a prostitute at an illicit massage parlor twice the weekend of the AFC Championship Game.

Authorities in Jupiter announced the 77-year-old Brookline, Massachusetts, resident has been charged with two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution — a misdemeanor — on Friday after they allegedly caught him on videotape engaging in sex acts at an illicit massage parlor. He has not been arrested in connection with the allegations.

Few documents have been entered into Kraft’s case docket, but court documents say Kraft was allegedly with a prostitute on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20, the weekend the Patriots won the AFC Championship, sending the team to the Super Bowl.

Court documents describe how Kraft entered the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, the alleged massage parlor, around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, and was caught on video engaging in a sex act with a woman almost a half an hour later.

Investigators observed Kraft leave the business and get into his blue Bentley by 5:25 p.m., according to the probable cause affidavit.

On Sunday, Jan. 20, video surveillance inside the massage parlor caught Kraft walking into the business just before 11 a.m. and paying cash at the front desk to an Asian woman. The woman took Kraft into a room with another surveillance camera, which allegedly caught the pair hugging before Kraft took off all of his clothing and laid face up on the massage table before the woman engaged in a sex act with him.

Kraft finished, got dressed with the help of the woman, gave her at least a $100 bill and then left the room by 11:13 a.m., according to court documents.

Another Boston-area billionaire, John Childs, retired from J.W. Childs, faces similar charges out of Vero Beach. Monday, the company announced Childs’ retirement, noting that he is not currently active in the private equity firm’s management.

“John built an enduring and strong business and we appreciate his many contributions to JWC,” managing partner Adam Suttin said in a statement. “I look forward with confidence to the next chapter for our firm and wish John well.”

A summons for Kraft will be mailed to him requesting he appear in a Florida courtroom on April 24 at 8:30 a.m.

The months-long investigation has put a spotlight on human trafficking in Florida and across the U.S.

At a news conference Monday, Florida State Attorney Dave Aronberg praised the Jupiter Police Department for its success in investigating the alleged prostitution ring over several months.

“These cases aren’t about any one defendant or any group of defendants. The larger picture with which we must all confront is the cold reality that many prostitutes in cases like this are themselves victims,” Aronberg said.

Kraft, who has denied the charges, was spotted over the weekend attending pre-Oscars festivities in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the National Football League released a new statement on Kraft’s charges, saying in part that the league’s personal conduct policy “applies equally to everyone in the NFL. We will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the policy.”

Although prosecutors said he faces up to a year in jail, legal experts tell NBC10 Boston that Kraft is unlikely to land behind bars, but may face some other legal problems and issues regarding his legacy.

In addition to Kraft and Childs, at least 7 other men from New England were also arrested in connection to the sting in nearby Indian River County.