According to a new report, Florida prosecutors are looking to increase the charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, appealing a judge’s decision to throw out video evidence in the prostitution case.
Kraft is currently charged with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting a prostitute, but if prosecutors win their appeal, they will increase those charges to a third-degree felony, which carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison.
The Patriots owner, who is one of 25 people facing charges after a sting at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanors in February. On May 13, Judge Leonard Hanser ruled that prosecution could not use video from inside the massage parlor in court, arguing that detectives did not do enough to minimize the invasion of privacy of other customers who were only receiving legal massages when installing the secret cameras.
On Friday, state prosecutors filed a 15-page written argument as part of their appeal, outlining why investigators needed such a broad warrant for the prostitution sting. Kraft’s lawyers argue the state violated his Fourth Amendment rights. A panel of three judges will review both arguments and make a ruling.
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