Defense attorneys for Robert Kraft have another appearance in court Monday in the misdemeanor prostitution case against the New England Patriots owner. Court is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. EST.
Records describe the hearing as a “status check.” This comes after the defense got a major win in the case. A Florida judge ruled May 13 to block evidence obtained from a sneak and peek warrant to install secret cameras at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. In other words, jurors won’t see footage purportedly showing the football honcho in a compromised position. Prosecutor also won’t be able to show that a cop performed a nearby traffic stop in which Kraft was the vehicle passenger.
Authorities in Jupiter, Florida announced charges in February against men who allegedly solicited prostitution at the spa. Officials initially construed this as a “human trafficking” case, but no such charges were filed. The defense took them to task for this and argued that the hidden cameras were overkill to investigate misdemeanor offenses.
Judge Leonard Hanser ruled that the seek and peek warrant failed to follow proper minimization producers. For example, the clients who allegedly broke the law were all said to be male, but police had no procedures to avoid surveilling female patrons, he said.
“Failing to consider and include instructions on minimizing the impact on women, through a highly intrusive law enforcement technique in a setting with a high legitimate expectation of privacy, is a serious flaw in the search warrant, especially considering that the search warrant did not allege women were seeking illegal contact,” he wrote. “The testimony indicates the videotapes of these individuals remain in the records of the Jupiter Police Department.”
[Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
