Florida Prosecutors Won't Appeal Robert Kraft Massage Parlor Video Ruling

Prosecutors in Florida won't appeal a court ruling that suppressed surveillance video of Robert Kraft at the Orchids of Asia spa in Jupiter, Florida. 

According to the Associated Press' Terry Spencer, prosecutors were concerned about "broader, negative implications" on subsequent police investigations if they appealed the case to the Florida Supreme Court and were defeated. As a result, "the charges against Kraft and about 20 other men will likely be dismissed."

Kraft was initially charged with soliciting prostitution in February 2019 after police said they recorded Kraft paying for sex acts at the spa in January of that year.

In August, Florida's 4th District Court of Appeals ruled the recordings could not be submitted as evidence because the installation of secret cameras in the spa by police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers.

Per a CNN report, video taken from inside the spa showed a female employee "manipulating [Kraft's] genitals and later wiping Kraft's genitals with a towel."

The New England Patriots owner pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanors. CNN's Jason Carroll and Kevin Conlon also reported he declined a plea deal that would've required him to admit he would've been found guilty in a trial.

Kraft's lawyers successfully argued in May 2019 the police surveillance was "unnecessary and inappropriate" and out of step with the charges prosecutors subsequently pursued against him. Palm Beach County Judge Leonard Hanser also said in his ruling Jupiter police and the judge who initially signed off on the search warrant failed to ensure those who visited the spa would have their privacy protected.

"The fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable," Hanser said.