Prosecutors back off felony claim against Patriots owner Robert Kraft

[left-of-center2012]

Lawyers for the state of Florida have backed down from a recent claim that New England Patriots football team owner Robert Kraft committed a felony prostitution offense a year ago. In a court filing Thursday night, Florida prosecutors revised their position in an appeal concerning video evidence in the high-profile case arising from a massage parlor sex sting.

Kraft, 78, remains charged with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution. Police said the part-time Palm Beach resident was caught on a secret camera paying for sex acts on separate days.

A county judge has ruled prosecutors can’t use the videos because Jupiter police used an unlawful warrant when they recorded Kraft and other people at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

In a pleading Dec. 23, Kraft’s attorneys cited two older federal court cases to make the point that “hidden video surveillance” by law enforcement “raises the spectre of the Orwellian state.”

https://triblive.com/sports/prosecutors-back-off-felony-claim-against-patriots-owner-robert-kraft/

[getagrip_already]

1. In this case, the judge was right to throw out the video evidence......

They illegally obtained a search warrant to put cameras in a location where private citizens who weren't under any individual suspicion, had every right to an expectation of privacy. They ran that operation for 9 months in a business that served literally thousands of customers. Yet they only made ~100 arrests. That tells you they took a lot of videos of naked people (some women went to the studios not knowing there was a side business) where no crimes were committed.

This is no different then putting video surveillance in hotel rooms because there might at some point be an illegal act committed.

The department should have its ass sued off.

Yes, I get that actual crimes were committed. So what? The end does not justify the means. There was no underage worker to protect. There was no trafficking uncovered. If anything besides sex acts was occurring, there were no charges for it.

This was about authoritarian over reach and trampled civil liberties. It was about prosecutors making arrests for tv, not protecting women,

Thug piggery at it's worst.

[Firestorm49]

3. Interesting take.

I have to admit that my initial impression of the situation from the beginning was not well informed, which is why I deleted my prior post regarding the Orwellian state. My anger about the rich getting away with murder clouded the reality that you stated, and for that, I thank you. I sometimes react with a butt reaction, rather than with critical thinking, or more insightful knowledge.

[Iwasthere]

4. I wish Nancy, Schiff, Nadler etc,..

Would bring up that term , Orwellian" more often.