Robert Kraft’s Prosecutors Make Bold Appeal To Judge’s Latest Decision

Prosecutors in New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s case filed a notice of appeal Friday that likely will delay the conclusion of the case until well into the NFL regular season.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office on Friday appealed Monday’s ruling to bar the use as evidence videos allegedly showing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft receiving sexual services for money at a massage parlor in January. The appeal will be heard by the Palm Beach County Circuit Court.

Earlier this week, in his 10-page ruling, Judge Leonard Hanser wrote that Jupiter police detectives did not do enough to minimize the invasion of privacy of customers who received legitimate massages.

“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 wrote.

According to prosecutors, the warrant obtained to install the cameras was legal and aimed at stopping a felony-level prostitution operation.

Kraft’s lawyer, William Burck, told USA TODAY Sports Friday, that Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Dave “Aronberg is acknowledging he has no case without the illegal video recordings that four Florida judges have now found to be unconstitutional.”

The 77-year-old billionaire businessman is accused of getting sexually serviced for cash during two visits at the spa on consecutive days, which were captured by secret surveillance cameras that police had placed there. Kraft pleaded not guilty to the two charges.