Robert Kraft, owner of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, faces charges of soliciting another to commit prostitution after an investigation into illegal activities at a day spa in a northern Palm Beach County strip mall.
The 77-year-old billionaire, who lives in Massachusetts and has a home in the Palm Beach area, will face two counts after being caught on video at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, the Jupiter Police Department said Friday.
Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr said he was shocked to learn Kraft — who’s ranked 77th on Forbes’ list of 400 richest Americans with a net worth of $6.6 billion — paid for sex at the illicit day spa.
“We are as equally stunned as everyone else,” Kerr said.
Kraft, who police said was caught on video on two separate visits to the spa, has not been arrested on the misdemeanor charges.
“He’s being charged with the same offense as the others, and that is soliciting another to commit prostitution,” Kerr said at a news conference.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Kraft said they “categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”
The charges come amid a multi-agency crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking involving the spa in Jupiter as well as nine other spas in Orange, Indian River and Martin counties. Police said they planted undercover cameras in massage parlors to record the interactions between men and female employees.
“Obviously our concern in this investigation centers around victims of human trafficking,” Kerr said.
The investigation into the Jupiter spa began in October, where the surveillance showed men showing up to the business and staying there from a half-hour to an hour, according to TCPalm.com. The prostitutes, many of them from China, were victims trapped in the trade, authorities said. “These girls are there all day long, into the evening,” Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said earlier this week, according to TCPalm. “They can’t leave and they are performing sex acts.”
Among those arrested was the Jupiter spa’s owner, Hua Zhang, who faces charges that include deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution and multiple counts of procuring prostitution. As part of the crackdown, hundreds of people will end up facing charges, with dozens of men reportedly being arrested so far.
The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, which would prosecute Kraft’s case, said no public records were available yet detailing the allegations against him.
Kraft’s team, the New England Patriots, won the Super Bowl earlier this month in Atlanta over the Los Angeles Rams, their sixth in the last 18 seasons, making them the most successful team in pro sports during that span. In four other seasons, they made the Super Bowl.
Kraft, who made his fortune in the paper and packing business, bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1994. Kraft hired Bill Belichick to be his coach in 2000 and the team subsequently drafted quarterback Tom Brady, launching their nearly two decades of success.
In South Florida, Kraft has been a frequent guest of President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club. Though a Democrat, he is friendly with Trump.
Kraft’s wife Myra Hiatt died in 2011. He has been dating 39-year-old actress Ricki Noel Lander since 2012.
This article was supplemented with information from The Associated Press, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s news partner, WPEC-CBS12.