The sex trafficking probe that has amounted to legal troubles for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft began after a health inspector noticed curious details at the spa that led him to believe the female employees lived there.
Authorities have suspected Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, was providing more than massages and facials since at least July after a state Health Department employee alerted police to signs of human trafficking, CNN reported. Their suspicions were further supported by an investigation that revealed an all-male clientele and internet postings describing the spa as a “rub and tug,” according to a police affidavit.
According to CNN, police sent Florida Department of Health and one of its agents to the spa to conduct a “routine inspection,” on Nov. 14. She reported back that the spa housed two rooms with beds, sheets and pillows, the affidavit said. There were also dressers containing medicine and clothing, as well as a fridge with food and condiments.
The findings, police and the health department determined, were “consistent with individuals living inside,” the affidavit said.
A deeper dive into the spa’s Dumpster found a ripped-up ledger, credit card receipts and napkins wet with semen, according to the affidavit. Police staked out the business, watching man after man enter the spa and leave after 30 minutes or an hour and conducted traffic stops on customers leaving the business, who confirmed they had not patronized the day spa for its advertised services.
“It was clear to us that this was a trafficking case because of the circumstances I enumerated: They’re not leaving, they’re there 24 hours a day, the hygiene was minimal at best, just a bathroom,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said. “So we took it upon ourselves to not do what could be the easy way out … and we turned it into a trafficking case.”
After obtaining a search warrant, investigators caught several johns — including, allegedly, Kraft, who is accused of visiting the spa twice, which he denies — engaging in sex acts on hidden surveillance cameras.
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