Patriots owner Kraft gets “happy ending”, offered deal to drop prostitution charges

PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI) — Florida prosecutors said Tuesday they offered to drop charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft if he admits he would have been proven guilty at trial.

Palm Beach County State’s Attorney’s Office spokesman Mike Edmondson told CNBC that Kraft and two dozen other men accused of soliciting a prostitute were offered the same deal.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, was the first to report the offer.

Kraft is accused of soliciting a prostitute on at least two occasions at a massage parlor in Jupiter, Fla., earlier this year. Officials said the encounters occurred at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, about 80 miles north of Miami.

Police said they have body camera and surveillance footage from the investigation. The offenses carry penalties of up to a year in jail, probation and fines.

Kraft has until March 28 to either take prosecutors’ deal or proceed with a trial. Under the deal, he also must undergo screening for sexually transmitted diseases, take an education course about prostitution and complete 100 hours of community service.

Edmondson said the deal is similar to ones offered to other defendants accused of misdemeanors who have not previously been convicted of crimes.

Kraft, 77, pleaded not guilty to the charges in February.

Kraft’s Patriots won the Super Bowl earlier this month. He’s a regular figure on national football broadcasts, often seen watching his team from the owner’s box at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium. He’s also CEO of The Kraft Group, which owns Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and International Forest Products.

Reporting by Danielle Haynes

United Press International

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