This week, Florida prosecutors will be in an appellate court arguing that it was not a violation of Robert Kraft’s rights when they secretly recorded the New England Patriots owner allegedly engaging in sex acts in a massage parlor in 2019.
In May of last year, Judge Leonard Hanser ruled that the video evidence Florida detectives collected was obtained in an illegal manner and was therefore invalid to be used in the case against the then 77-year-old.
During an online hearing on Tuesday, state prosecutors will tell the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal that Hanser made a mistake in his ruling about the installation of hidden cameras at Orchids of Asia spa, according to the Associated Press. Kraft’s attorneys have been vehement the cameras are an invasion of privacy and that the search warrant that was used to justify their installation was obtained under false pretenses.
Should the court uphold Hanser’s decision and rule prosecutors can’t use the videos, the case against Kraft will be severely weakened and it seems likely he will get off.
“If the state wins this appeal, then everyone loses, not just the accused,” Kraft’s attorney Frank Shepherd wrote in a court filing. “Government could run roughshod over privacy and constitutional rights while evading scrutiny.”
Kraft, 79, has pleaded not guilty but did issue a public apology after he was charged along with 25 other men.
“I am truly sorry,” Kraft said in March of 2019. “I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard.”
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