WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg announced Monday that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 24 other men face charges of soliciting another to commit prostitution in connection with a human-trafficking investigation that led to the discovery of alleged sex acts at Florida massage parlors.
The 25 men face first-degree misdemeanor charges, which include the potential sentence of up to one year in prison, a fine, community service and taking a class. None of the men face human trafficking charges.
Two women also face charges in the case, Aronberg said.
Kraft, who lives out of state, will have a capias, in essence a low-level warrant, issued against him, but his attorney will be able to take care of it, Aronberg said. Local suspects will receive a summons in the mail.
A representative for Kraft has has denied Kraft's involvement in the prostitution sting. Police, however, say they have video evidence of Kraft receiving sex acts for money.
Aronberg said the case isn't just about Kraft.
"These cases aren't about any one defendant or group of defendants," he said. "The larger picture that we must all confront, the cold reality is that many prostitutes in cases like this are themselves victims. You can tell a lot about our community by the way it treats its most vulnerable individuals and that includes victims of human trafficking which is modern-day slavery."
At Monday's news conference, rumors of the arrest of a "bigger fish" in the case "would be news to me," Aronberg said. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Friday that "Robert Kraft is not the biggest name involved."
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