WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The video evidence was thrown out by a judge. It was sealed from the public. But that’s not enough for the high-powered attorneys representing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution.
In a new filing, prosecutors have asked that video of Kraft allegedly receiving sex acts inside Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter be added to the court’s case file as a sealed exhibit.
Kraft’s legal team says that could compromise an existing protective order to keep the video sealed from public view. Kraft's attorneys fear adding the video to the case file could weaken their arguments to keep a protective order in place.
Kraft has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
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So far, the man overseeing Kraft’s case, Judge Leonard Hanser, has made two major rulings in Kraft’s favor. First, he agreed to temporarily seal the surveillance video evidence from public view, meaning media outlets and the general public will not have access to it through public records requests until further notice.
Then, Judge Hanser threw the video evidence out of the case entirely because, in part, detectives failed to protect innocent spa patrons from the secret cameras they planted in ceiling tiles.
Judge Hanser hasn’t made a decision yet in this newest argument. However, on Tuesday he granted the state’s motion to put the case on hold while his ruling to the throw the video out of evidence goes through an appellate court.
Kraft’s legal team includes attorneys who formerly represented President George W. Bush and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
