New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged with soliciting prostitution

[Bred Sob]

I think it would be nice if someone gets punished for making (ordering) those tapes. Too much to wish for, I am afraid.

Patron, of course, I agree with you. An ordinary guy would really think twice before agreeing to sit through a public trial, even if he thinks that his odds of winning are pretty good.

 

[Valcazar]

I wonder if that offer will still be on the table if the motion to get the videos thrown out fails. Since it is the standard alternative for first time offense maybe it stays valid. But with the police backing off the trafficking, which is the only way to justify that kind of surveillance, I would think he'd be almost impossible to convict if the videos disappeared.

 

[CaptRenault]

Hooray for Kraft (and his lawyer). :thumb: :cheer2:

It's great that he is going to fight this charge. It's just one small case, but it's great to see a guy finally fight back and not meekly accept a deal in a case like this.

He has the money to hire great lawyers and he's old enough and rich enough that he doesn't have to give a fuck about defying the power of the state. I hope the police, the DA and the media all end up looking like fools when the trial ends with a not guilty charge.

 

[sambuca]

Am I the only one who is starting to think prosecutors in our country are out of control? Regardless of their political allegiance, they all seem to be trying to make a name for themselves.

Perhaps it was always this bad and 24/7 news and social media simply made me more aware of it.
Or perhaps prosecutors have become aware of 24/7 news and social media.

 

[Bred Sob]

Am I the only one who is starting to think prosecutors in our country are out of control?

I am not sure that it is the prosecutors who are to blame in the first place. After all, it was a judge who sanctioned the videotaping, which is (in my view) the most outrageous aspect of this case. And then of course the laws are seriously fucked up, we all know that (and love so much to visit Canada as a result). And what about the media that seems to be so happy about Kraft's troubles? Who cares that he had donated $400 million to charity. He is Trump's friend after all, that is what matters most.

There seems to be a lot of blame to go around.

 

[sambuca]

You have done a great job of highlighting American law enforcement's silly efforts to target sex work. In many areas, not exclusively the war on the sex industry, they are looking for spotlight moments. I would also say decisions to drop cases or mitigate charges for certain high profile accused persons is a dereliction (Smollett, Epstein).

EagerBeaver praised former prosecutors on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Kavanaugh hearings. I didn't bring that up to relitigate it. I just had a different opinion. I saw Senator/prosecutors who like cameras and microphones.

 

[Valcazar]

Patron - I think the move to prosecuted as hero has a lot to do with the crime wave that spiked in the 90s. It has taken a generation to get rid of and is only now ebbing. (the law school glut has also cut into this).

I do think it will slowly fade, but we are stuck with a bunch of politicians who made their bones as prosecuters and that will have a hangover effect.

 

[sambuca]

I'm intrigued. What do you mean by the law school glut has also cut into this?

 

[CaptRenault]

I'm intrigued. What do you mean by the law school glut has also cut into this?

As for the law school glut:

Law school enrollment increased from 23K+ to 53K+ from 1968 to 2010. That's a glut of law schools and students. But enrollment abruptly dropped to 37K by 2015.

 

[Valcazar]

What Renault said.

 

[sambuca]

So are you're saying that the end of the law school glut should help alleviate the idealism that prosecutors are heroes?

It's possible, but we still have the same amount of jurisdictions and the lower crime trends could give prosecutors more time and resources to pursue their own projects.

I won't get into it all, but our government services are generally staffed to deal with the world that existed twenty years ago. It takes a long time for them to change.

 

[EagerBeaver]

In cases like this, offers do not usually get pulled off the table until jury selection starts. That’s a long time away. Kraft did the wise thing which is to let the case wind through the system and see what happens. You have a simple choice to plead out early or enter a not guilty plea and get a trial date. Same as any case. The main concern to Kraft is leakage of the tape which is totally apart from the Court case and nothing that happens in the court case will have any bearing whatsoever on that issue. The identification of the tape and its significance was very detrimental to Kraft because it essentially insured that covert copies would be made by those who seek to profit from its release. I can envision a scenario in which the tape is leaked and punishment is imposed by the NFL, due to the tape and not anything that may happen in Court.

 

[hungry101]

Maybe he will walk like Jussie Smollet did thanks to his relationship with the Obamas and their mutual connections with Kim Fields and the crooked politics that exist in Chicago? I don't think that it will be this easy. There aren't as many corrupt politicos elsewhere as there are in Chicago and Kraft doesn't have black/gay privilege going for him. But who knows? Kraft has a lot of money. Maybe he can find an administration as corrupt and incompetent as the one that runs Chicago so he can buy his way out of it?

 

[Valcazar]

The conspiracy theory is now that Jussie Smollett had the Obamas pull strings to get him off? (Am I understanding it right?)

 

[sambuca]

The conspiracy theory is now that Jussie Smollett had the Obamas pull strings to get him off? (Am I understanding it right?)

In fairness to the Obamas, the connection seems to be from Michelle's former top aide Tina Tchen, a liberal warrior and Kim Foxx, the State's Attorney. Tchen, the new head of the Southern Poverty Law Center, apparently can raise a lot of money for Democratic candidates and causes.

You seem to be a guy that because of your dedication to your politics likes to jump in front of windmills. Well when the shit hits the windmill, you seem to run and disappear. As far as the Smollett case, I think this is a windmill you don't want to challenge.

 

[CaptRenault]

Kraft has decided to fight the charges. It’s great to see someone who can afford high priced, expert legal assistance fight back against the power of the prosecutor and police. I predict that, if the case goes to trial and I hope it does, Kraft will be found not guilty. Only a trial will truly expose the Big Lie of the sex trafficking charges.

Robert Kraft to fight prostitution charges after missing deadline with prosecutors

April 6, 2019 |
nypost.com

Massage parlor in Robert Kraft case allegedly tossed 'service' records

Cops called in fake bomb threat to plant cameras in massage parlor, Kraft attorneys claim

Robert Kraft's lawyers file motion to suppress videos, evidence

Robert Kraft's lawyers go on the offensive against sheriff in prostitution case


Accused sex spa patron Robert Kraft is set to fight the charges he’s facing after he missed Friday’s deadline to strike a no-plea deal with prosecutors.

The Patriots owner had until Friday to work out a settlement in the case in Florida, where he’s accused of soliciting prostitution at a massage parlor, but the deadline passed without him accepting the offer.

Kraft would have had to admit his conviction was certain.

Instead, his lawyers submitted a waiver to the Palm Beach County court indicating he would not appear at any court hearings prior to trial, according to the Massachusetts Republican newspaper.

Prosecutors there have charged Kraft with two misdemeanors after he was allegedly caught twice on camera in January paying for sexual favors at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sources previously told The Post there was “absolutely no way” Kraft would take the so-called diversion deal, which would require him to admit he’d be found guilty at trial.

He also would have had to submit to an STD test, take a class on the dangers of prostitution, complete 100 hours of community service and pay $10,000 in court fees.

In return, state prosecutors would drop their charges.

“Kraft strongly insists he didn’t do anything wrong, and he isn’t going to take a deal that indicates he did,” the source said last month.

 

[Valcazar]

^^2

Samnbuca - thanks for clarifying that bit about the Obama. I haven't really followed the Smullet story other than the fact it seems to have generated over the top outrage from the right wing and far more news coverage than it seem to warrant in general.

 

[sambuca]

I think what's interesting is that many Chicago Democrats are pissed off at Smollett and then they have to couch their outrage with this is all because of Trump. Of course, the President eggs them on. I think it's funny because I don't think they (Dem politicians) know for sure how to react.

Seriously, can't a Gay Black celebrity simply be a stupid idiot. It could happen.

Enjoy some Chris Rock on the topic at the NAACP awards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7CgZHcG9TA

 

[Valcazar]

Don't live in Chicago, so maybe there is a dynamic going on there I'm unaware of. Most people I know seem to be on the Chris Rock side of things - that guy is an idiot.

 

[Valcazar]

Interesting piece Patron.