Robert Kraft is the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots. Kraft is a huge supporter of Tom Brady, and Kraft is also a big Donald Trump supporter. Remember this bizarre story from last year, where Kraft’s 31-year-old girlfriend got pregnant and had a baby in secret and the Patriots organization claimed it wasn’t Kraft’s kid? Anyway, as I learned during that secret-baby issue, Kraft is a widower. He was married to year to Myra Kraft for decades, and Myra passed away in 2011. Since then, he’s been in the company of a few pretty young things, as is common with 77 year old billionaires. But as it turns out, Kraft needed something else. He needed sex acts from the trafficked sex slaves of Orchids of Asia, a strip-mall “spa” in Jupiter, Florida. Kraft was named as one of two hundred “johns” caught up in a police operation investigating human trafficking.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is a wanted man — cops say they’ve issued a warrant for his arrest as part of a recent prostitution, human trafficking sting operation in Jupiter, Florida. Cops say 77-year-old Kraft will be charged with 2 counts of “soliciting another to commit prostitution,” according to Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr.
Chief Kerr says he was “stunned as everybody else” when he saw Kraft’s name as a suspect. Officials say Kraft is accused of soliciting a prostitute on at least 2 separate occasions at a massage parlor in Florida roughly “a month ago.” Cops say the name of the establishment that Kraft visited is Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter. Cops say they have obtained evidence from body cam video and surveillance that has been conducted over the last several months.
Officials say Kraft was driven to the spa by a chauffeur … and say they have video of the Pats owner “that shows the act that took place” with him inside of the spa. The average cost per visit for services was $59 for half an hour and $79 per hour, according to police.
A spokesperson for Kraft tells TMZ Sports the NFL owner denies the allegations.
“We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”
How do I say this obliquely… from the reporting, it doesn’t sound like Kraft in particular was paying for intercourse. He seems to have paid for handies, or at least that’s how it seems. I’ve mentioned before that I think some forms of prostitution should be legal, and I don’t believe ALL prostitution issues are human trafficking issues. But that’s not the case here – it sounds like the spa was “employing” undocumented Asian women who had been smuggled into the country to be enslaved at these kinds of “spas.” These women were absolutely trafficked. And I’m here for outing all of the men. The list of men also includes John Childs, a Wall Street financier and billionaire. Another name: John Havens, former president and COO of Citigroup. There are steady rumors that another big name could come out too.
It should be noted that this is only a misdemeanor change. Kraft was charged with two misdemeanors for soliciting. If convicted, the most jail time he could do would be about 120 days. One of the conversations happening right now is about the NFL’s “morality clauses” for owners, players and coaches, and whether the billionaire owner of the NFL’s biggest team should be punished by the league. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has some decisions to make. Goodell could fine Kraft or give the Patriots a game suspension.
Here’s Trump saying he was “very surprised” about Kraft:
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Always remember that the confident, upper-class white girl who freely enters prostitution, only sleeps with clients she wants to, makes loads of money and is free to leave whenever she wishes to, is so astronomically rare among the millions of women in the sex trade that they will give you no indication of what it’s really like – and yet, when people discuss legalising prostitution, it always seems to be those girls that they’re thinking of.
The truth is, this is much closer to the reality of what prostitution is like. Low-class, low-income women, often trafficked in (note, that doesn’t mean just women brought in from other countries, but also girls tricked by their ‘boyfriends’ and brought across state lines). Debt and drug use are so rife that it’s near impossible for these women to leave – and most in-depth surveys of prostitutes show that the vast majority do want to leave. It’s very telling that the public movements to legalise prostitution – rather than say using the Nordic model – are heavily dominated by pimps rather than the actual women whose bodies are being traded.
Yes this 1000%
Oddly timed comment that hits close to home. I lost a patient last night was a “regular” in my ED after being beaten to death by a john. Legalization wouldn’t have helped her. The only thing that would have helped her was if MEN weren’t selling her to other MEN.
I am struggling with the loss of this patient because she had been in so many times and we could never actually help her. She was also another black woman who wasn’t afforded the same opportunities as I was. Its way too common a story i hear from other minority women.
Entering prostitution by choice and legalization of prostitution that preys on minorities and continues to bury them reeks of white privilege.
Thank you for what you do! You have a tough and so important job! You need some serious self care right now. Take care of yourself. You did your best in a really bad situation.
+1 on Lulu’s post.
I second Gina’s comment – so very sorry for the loss, and so grateful for your work. It’s so devastating in healthcare to want to help people and not be able to, whatever the reason. Please take care of yourself in the coming weeks. Sending prayers for you and your patient.
@gina and tootsie I actually work in my husband’s old neighborhood in a county facility and this case is not unique. I’m lucky to be in a position to serve this community with new understanding.
I see a lot of unnecessary loss of life this one just hit particularly hard because we had seen her the day before for a lung infection and we sat and talked with this funny woman and when it came time for discharge it was like a switch. This is a devastating story for a person deserving of much more.
The thing that bothers me the most is we didn’t realize who it was until after her time of death and I feel like calling her jane doe in her final moments added indignity to her death.
I only work the ER one night a week as a time donation, the hospital here struggles to remain funded. The majority of my work is in infectious disease research. There are nurses who see this and put their souls into serving this community. Under staffed, under paid and with no time for self care.
I don’t know how they do it.
You’re doing great work, my friend. All the best to you!
@ Wow
Thank you so much for your sacrifice…..like everyone has said, please take care of you as well, it’s cricial.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thank you both, you gave me a lot to think about with this.
In fact, you’ve changed my mind. What a rare thing on the internet.
Good points
Is there a reason why state lines matter here?
Trafficking across state lines makes it a federal felony with more severe penalties.
Lulu & Wow,
You’ve both raised some really good points that legalization won’t be a quick fix for most sex workers. But my question is this: Do laws against prostitution do anything to help exploited and trafficked women?
When men stop selling women and children to other men and we start educating women on red flags and giving them access to education and opportunity in low income communities we create a situation of ending the market and having women not just know stripping, prostitution and porn *where the majority depicts violence against women* aren’t something they have to do to survive.
Have you ever seen a black woman get rejected from every university they applied to because they grew up without access to education and preparation and just sigh and resign themselves to having to go strip not because they want to, not because its empowering, not because they are controlling their sexuality, but because they were failed and torn down their whole lives and now they truly believe the best option they have is selling their body because it pays better than other jobs that will hire them? I have, and its common.
You know who will benefit from legalization? MEN, the men who sell these women, children and LGBTQ members to other men.
These women who were held captive, forced to preform sex acts lets face it they were raped and abused by wealthy men who took pleasure in their captivity will now be set free. I say these laws have helped save these women even if it wasn’t fast enough.
Women die, contract diseases, are mentally and physically abused, have their dignity stripped and are bought and sold like property. Why are we trying to make prostitution less stigmatized for 1% of the workers when 99% are victims?
Even decriminalizing prostitution so the women can seek help from the police could help, but only to help victims get out not legitimized the sale of human beings. Legalization can’t be a discussion until the majority of the women are consenting, which only a very privileged few are.
Why are we not more concerned with the slaves, human trafficking, women being put down so much they believe thats all they are worth, lack of equal education and opportunity for minorities so they can avoid these situations and believe in themselves. I’m not concerned about the fancy call girl in LA or new York who picks her clients and is showered with lavish gifts. Lets face it, she’s probably white and if she gets popped she’s most likely not going to jail anyway.
Wow, again those are all good points. But no one is advocating for the legalization of rape, trafficking, false imprisonment, or the other myriad of horrors associated with prostitution. And yes our country needs a huge overhaul in economic disparity, educational opportunity, and social justice for child victims. But we’ve seen drug laws criminalize addiction. It’s not the high powered drug traffickers crowding our prisons. Drug laws further victimize victims. Do we have data substantiating that prostitution laws aren’t equally criminalizing the victims?
@lulu – this! I remember commenting to a male acquaintance that it broke my heart that so many of the child victims of sexual abuse I deal with as a prosecutor end up reappearing decades later as victims of human trafficking, controlled and abused by pimps, victims of domestic violence, or ongoing sexual abuse in strip clubs. He made the often used infuriating comment about women putting themselves through school – to which I said “oh, do you really think she’s going to tell clients she’s there because she was raped from the time she was five by her step father and then kicked out of the house at 14 because her mother believed the step father and chose to stay with him?” That usually shuts people up.
You are telling the truth, Lulu
Thank you for saying this. It feels as if it’s becoming taboo to point any of this out, and that suppression does terrible harm to the women who most need help.
The argument for legalization isn’t just for happy sex workers. All the most compelling arguments I’ve heard are because it would allow legislation and regulation to protect those who are most at risk (e.g. requiring it be housed in an establishment instead of on the street; penalizing abuse; limiting the cut that a pimp can take; providing services to women that desperately need them; diminishing the prevalence of human trafficking by diverting clients to reputable establishments where their risk of being caught up in a sting like this is negated).
This is absolutely horrible. And thank you for emphasizing the human trafficking part of this. I have seen so many headlines focused on the solicitation charges, which then leads to people arguing about the legalization of prostitution. We can discuss the legalization of prostitution if people want, but its not really relevant to THIS situation, where these girls were held as sex slaves (based on what I’ve been reading.)
Yeah
The police presentation of this report was that it was human trafficking of immigrant Asian Women. Not independent women making decisions over their own body and career.
I couldn’t believe one of the conservative CNN talk show hosts was trying to sell this as a “lonely old widow seeking companionship”. Even his fans attacked him on Twitter thankfully. Since the right wing is supposedly new cursade is human trafficking. Watch Trump the prep’s buddy lead the GOP into showing their hypocrisy. At this point they are shameless anyway and stand for nothing.
There’s a conservative on CNN?
I feel like we are just starting to go down the rabbit hole on this. It’s disturbing and very sad, but do not turn away. Keep up the pressure.
I’ve been hearing how these women’s lives were controlled and it could not be more clearly a case of trafficking. And think about the mindset of these billionaires (who could afford the highest of high end call girls) going to places like this. The power trip. The ability to engage in degradation. Sigh…burn it all to the ground. Hollywood, sports, finance. Burn the whole system.
I think this story really highlights our culture. It shows why we don’t have a woman president. Women are literally worth less than dogs in our culture. I mean that. We are worth less than dogs.
These women were literally captive sex slaves, as Kaiser says. They were held captive and forced to commit sex acts on dozens of a men a day, 7 days a week. This is hell. These women were in hell on earth.
And nothing will happen. A misdemeanor? Please don’t kid yourself that he didn’t know these women were tortured slaves. He knew. THAT’S WHY HE WAS THERE. THAT’S THE PART HE LIKED.
In what world is 120 days, or, let’s face it, the probation he’s going to get, a fitting consequence of torturing women?
This is exactly how I’ve always felt.
I had some close guy friends in my group about ten years ago, who I 100% thought were good guys after knowing them for a few years. Well, I found out that some of them had “hooked up with” (nice euphemism) some prostitutes on a group trip. I was never able to look at these guys the same way again and slowly withdrew from hanging out with them after hearing them discuss this so cavalierly. It caused something of a ripple in our friend group because everyone else thought I was making a big deal out of nothing.
Long story short, I never see those people anymore and I don’t miss them. Yuck.
@anon – yes , that happened to me too – I was a bridesmaid in the early 1990’s and the groom and groomsmen all went and did unmentionable things – except one who left and called his wife. The wedding was a nightmare with 1/2 of the bridesmaids telling the bride to not go through with it. Awful. We all lost touch after that.
@darla -This! I just said this to my husband – this is how these guys see women, at their deepest core, as slaves.
Trump owns a golf course in Jupiter.
Since Myra died (and Myra was a force), there have been a number of incidents with Kraft when I have thought: “Jonathan, come get Daddy.” I think the four Kraft sons will be putting a tighter control over their father in the coming months
Indeed (re: the Trump connection). I had my tin foil hat on yesterday over the rumor of “an even bigger name” coming out of this …
And Jupiter is only 21 miles away from MAL. It’s too bad the sting didn’t start prior to Secret Service coverage or we might have video of mushroom dick getting serviced. I absolutely believe he partook.
There still may be. The Secret Service does not stop criminal activity by the person being guarded or intervene to disrupt other law enforcement carrying out their duties. Both Bush girls engaged in illegal activity while under Secret Service protection and the Secret Service stepped aside to allow local police to arrest them on multiple occasions. One detail even placed Jenna’s “phone call” for her..
We in Who Household were trying to figure this out, like a billion other Trump-haters. We wondered if the Secret Service would allow it to happen and there you go. Nuts. But wouldn’t it be more likely, if it happened, that these enslaved women would have been brought to Mar a Lago?
I just wondered if he’d be so bold as to get his nub waxed with SS agents standing outside the room. Of course, he is a profoundly stupid, arrogant man, so….
Jim Carrey has a whole new career in political commentary and I love it. If you haven’t seen his artwork eviscerating the trumptoids you need to check out his twitter.
https://twitter.com/jimcarrey/status/1099467160458485760?s=21
I don’t think these women were Trumps type. He is weirder than weird but I think in his head they would be beneath him……no pun intended, he would need at least a 9 on the 10 scale to pump up his ego enough.
Trump’s comment on the whole incident: “It’s very sad. I was very surprised to see it,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office. “He’s proclaimed his innocence totally, but I’m very surprised to see it.” Nothing about the exploitation of the young women.
Sorry, but I just don’t buy that this is some lonely widower acting out because his wife isn’t there to put a leash on him. Not only does it put the burden on women and the family for keeping men in line, but the chances that he was always an awful person who never cared for the suffering of others are high. He’s a billionaire, and to paraphrase the adage, you don’t make that much money by being a good person.
Thank you so much for calling this exactly what it is. I’ve seen articles downplaying just how awful this truly is. These girls were told they would be brought here for legitimate work, then forced into sex slavery and not even allowed to leave the parlor. I think people have this idea of what they think prostitution is based off of movies and tv shows and don’t fully get how horrific it is for these girls (and boys too but girls are trafficked in higher numbers).
We as a country should be better than this and I hate that we’re not.
Thank you for covering the trafficking angle on this story. I would also urge the use of the term “sexual exploitation” as opposed to “trafficking” which is grossly misunderstood and implies the crime is the transport and not the ongoing sexual enalavement of the victims.
I am an attorney who has had the great privilege of representing survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking for several years. The myth of the “happy hooker” – perpetuated by Pretty Woman – needs to die. While a small number of women and men enter sex work voluntarily, most do not. Many adult sex workers entered “the life” as minors who were being trafficked and coerced. It is believed there are approximately 100k children being trafficked for sex in the US and the average age of first exploitation is 13. The majority of these children are American citizens and young women and men of color who are being physically and/or psychologically enslaved and abused every single day. Since the Johns are usually middle class or wealthy old white men – the narrative of these stories gets perverted to their benefit. Instead of talking about the survivors – in this case women who were economically coerced into coming here from China and then exploited – the world is debating legalization and how a hand job is “not a big deal.” Please get informed and get angry.
Thanks for your thoughts and this information.
Why, also, is all the coverage about them being coerced into ‘performing’ sex acts, which is bad enough, and not about their being the victims of actual rape and other forms of sexual assault? It seems like this is a legal hair to split because money changed hands/there is a third party? But given that they themselves did not benefit from the transaction, it appears that they were sexually assaulted several times a day, day after day. It’s horrible.
Through my work I know a few current and former sex workers. Their work is dangerous but they love the easy money. I also have a Facebook friend who is pro sex work, and always posting articles that sex work is not trafficking. Their partner now has HIV from sex work. I feel bad for women getting cheated on and getting diseases from partners who use sex workers. I’m not for anything that puts women in danger, especially women of colour who already have enough oppression from society. Kraft and his billionaire buddies are disgusting.
Hi Canadian-
Sex worker here
1. People who use sex workers are not getting STDs from them and passing them to their partners unless they are engaging in risky behaviors which they solicit and people do this with or without prostitutes- see the LA News Anchor living a double life on Grindr who just died getting fisted with meth in his anus.
2. “They love the easy money” – sex work money isn’t easy money. Its hard and dangerous money. It is fulfilling money. Its expensive to run a business, the admin hours are completely insane. Maybe you’re talking about streetworkers and they deserve respect too even if their choices don’t meet your approval. More support for these people, less judgement please. Everyone was hemming and hawing when FOSTA-SESTA passed but what is funny to me is all of you want people out of sex work- but there is no additional mention of further education or social support for former sexworkers. Kind of like Republicans insisting on “Pro Life” with no ideas for how to support all of these unwanted children save for a lifetime of abuse and menial slave labor which the capitalist machine needs. I digress
Your friend who is pro-sexwork has an alternative opinion and it should be respected.
Kraft was dead ass wrong and this is a perfect example of sexual exploitation.
But lets not conflate that with legitimate sexwork and lets not talk about sexworkers like you know all of us because you have a few down and out people you know through work or whatever.
Conversations about sexworkers need to include sexworkers.
Sexworker rights are women and mens human rights.
Rememeber that all
Final thought: A billionaire ivy business man knows he was paying $70 for an hour and probably a $60-100 tip for the screw. Hes likely been doing this years, he’s likely induldged at all price points but wealthy New England men like him think that its better to go anon to girls who don’t speak english and don’t know who they are sometime.
He shouldn’t be charged with a misdemenaor, he should be charged with sex trafficking.
He knew.
Thanks for commenting. I wholeheartedly agree that the conversation should be led by the people directly affected, i.e. the sex workers themselves.
Fact check: herpes and HPV can be spread even if you practice safe sex. Condoms only cut your risk, they don’t even come close to elimintating it. The vast majority of people with herpes have no symptoms and don’t know they have it but can still pass it on and cause symptoms in others, so unless a sex worker is being tested between every single client, they can absolutely pass it on. More partners = higher risk.
I’m not saying this to denigrate sex workers or say they’re dirty. Lord knows there’s plenty of herpes and high-risk strains of HPV in regular dating circles (though this is improving because of vaccines)… but to say that “People who use sex workers are not getting STDs from them and passing them to their partners unless they are engaging in risky behaviors” is an innacurate blanket statement.
I laughed my ass off at him and his cheating team when this first came out. They’re such phonies. Julian Edelman winning MVP at the superbowl after being suspended for four games for using performance enhancing drugs. Ben Affleck’s nanny on Tom Brady’s private jet. Kraft pretending he’s not that baby’s daddy.
But since then all I can think about is those poor women. How is this not systemic rape of enslaved women? Misdemeanor, what? Lock up these shit men. How about Gloria Allred files a couple thousand lawsuits against these rich creeps?
(I also have the tinfoil hat on re: the Jupiter golf course owner.)
Hopefully the owner will be charged too, with the most serious charges
I’ve been following this story for awhile. Jerry Epstein has his finger prints all over this. Supposedly there’s a black book (not alleged, there is a book) that has some BIG names in it. Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew could be tied into this. I hope this gets fully exposed. The Miami Herald did a great series of investigative reporting really exposing how protected these affluent people are in our legal system.
Jerry Epstein has nothing to do with an Asian massage parlor operation.
There are thousands in every state operating in your back yard.
Oh yes he does. Please research what is going on with Epstein and sex trafficking. He is a know pedophile and sex trafficker. This massage parlor involves sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, but there is a huge operation going on involving various affluent wealthy men, including Robert Kraft on a much larger scale. This story is only scratching the surface of much more sinister things going on.
I’m aware there are “massage parlors”everywhere, but this one involves human slavery and women being held against their will. Let’s not normalize this because it happens everywhere.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html
JEFFREY Epstein.
Thank you. I always want to call him Jerry for some reason.
WOW, I am sorry for your loss.
One thing that I do think is true is that Kraft is not the father of his girlfriends baby. Apparently, she wanted a kid and he was like go for it. She lives in LA most of the year; I legit think she’s a companion to him but I wouldn’t be surprised if their relationship was mostly sexless. She’s basically getting paid to be his date at events and probably occasionally have sex or at least try to.
Whatever the case, the excuse parade has already started. You know he just hasn’t been the same since his wife died. SMH. It’s nice to know some things never change and that white men in America are never responsible for their actions, it’s always something.
This story is so disturbing, especially because we know this is happening all over, not just this one spot. I’m glad the authorities were able to do something here, and everyone involved needs to be exposed and pay for their crimes. Especially those enslaving those poor women.
Not surprising that Kraft is denying it, even though there’s apparently video! Gross. I’m curious to know who the other name is, but I very much doubt that it’s the orange menace.
this story will soon be disappeared… don’t want to delve too deeply into this issue because some very powerful men are complicit.
I believe Kraft has negotiated to take these charges, so that he will get out in front of being named as a client of Jeffrey Epstein–and then to claim that this is all he did, once it is alleged that he did more. I don’t think it is a coincidence that this is reported a couple days after the announcement that the Federal prosecutor committed a crime giving Epstein a deal without informing the victims.
I completely agree with your comment.
Disgusting! Those prices are even less than legitimate massages cost around here! I wonder if the poor women got any $ at all.
Billionaire has the $ to pay whomever he wants to to whatever he wants, yet he goes someplace where immigrants are exploited and pays less than he would for a shirt or a meal!
And it’s a misdemeanor. Grotesque.
The misdemeanor part makes me want to throw up.
Uh Goodell needs to absolutely fire Kraft asap. If they can push out Kapernick I better see that same energy with this idiot smh.
Since the general public convo “this is a case of human trafficking” is getting derailed with the whole legalization movement has legalization done anything in places like Nevada for the surrounding sex workers?