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Robert Kraft requests jury trial on solicitation charge

By Danielle Haynes
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces up to a year in jail, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. File Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces up to a year in jail, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. File Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License Photo

March 26 (UPI) -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor solicitation charge and requested a jury trial in Florida.

Kraft's lawyers filed a motion to cancel his Thursday arraignment and enter his not guilty plea. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service.

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Kraft, 77, 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. He has maintained his innocence, but on Saturday offered an apology for hurting his family, friends and fans.

Police said they have body camera and surveillance footage from the investigation.

Prosecutors last week offered to drop the charges against Kraft if he admitted he would have been proven guilty at trial. He had a deadline of Thursday to make his decision on the deal.

Palm Beach County State's Attorney's Office spokesman Mike Edmondson said the deal is similar to ones offered to other defendants accused of misdemeanors who have not previously been convicted of crimes.

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Kraft's Patriots won the Super Bowl earlier this year. 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.

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