Plea deal offers to drop charges against Kraft
T.J. Quinn discusses the plea deal Robert Kraft was offered in which charges would be dropped for soliciting prostitution if he admits he would have been proven guilty at trial. (1:24)
Prosecutors have offered a plea deal to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 24 other men in which charges would be dropped for soliciting prostitution, the Palm Beach state attorney confirmed Tuesday.
But there is a catch: Kraft and the other men would have to review the evidence and admit they would have been proved guilty at trial, spokesman Mike Edmondon told The Associated Press.
Advocates for ending sex trafficking are urging NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to undertake an investigation of the criminal charges against Robert Kraft and to “banish” him from the league if the results show that Kraft solicited sex at a Florida spa.
Attorneys for Kraft, when asked about the report Tuesday by ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, declined to comment.
Also Tuesday, a letter sent to Roger Goodell that was signed by 19 survivors of sexual abuse and 60 organizations that fight sexual exploitation urged the commissioner to ban Kraft from the NFL if he is found guilty of soliciting sex.
In February, authorities announced that Kraft was videotaped twice paying for a sex act at an illicit massage parlor. Kraft is among more than 200 people, police say, who engaged in sex acts with employees of targeted massage parlors in South Florida.
Kraft pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of first-degree solicitation. His court date is set for March 28.
It’s not known whether Kraft or the others will accept the conditions of the diversionary program, which includes completing 100 hours of community service, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, completing a course about prostitution and paying $5,000 per count.
If Kraft accepts the deal, the videotape evidence most likely would be sealed under Florida law, meaning it would never be aired in public.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.