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On February 22, 2019, the police chief of Jupiter, Florida, announced that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft would face two misdemeanor charges for “soliciting another to commit prostitution,” stemming from a human trafficking sweep in Jupiter. The billionaire's legal team responded to an admission by the sheriff in a television interview about the investigation into massage parlors that ensnared Kraft and more than 300 others.
“Sheriff Will Snyder admitted that there was no human trafficking,” attorney William Burck told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday night. “He lied about it. His officers lied about it. I don’t really know what to say. I’ve never seen anything quite like that before.”
Snyder touted the investigation as a human trafficking investigation in multiple interviews, and even in an op-ed for The Hill. However, in a recent interview with West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV, Snyder said his office is “just a little short to being able to prove” human trafficking occurred.
Snyder has insisted that he still believes that human trafficking was taking place at the location, adding that there are several women who could still cooperate with an investigation.
Kraft's lawyer continued to blast the sheriff, “He’s trying to hide behind it by saying they didn’t find enough evidence,” Burck said. “You don’t get on a soapbox and start accusing people of being involved in human trafficking and then, weeks later, say ‘never mind’ and think that’s the way you can get away with that.
Kraft pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial, a hearing on the case scheduled for April 9.
“In deference to the judicial process, I have remained silent these past several weeks,” Kraft said in his first comments since being named in the Florida prostitution sting. “To correct some of the misinformation surrounding this matter, my attorney made his first public comments on Friday night. I would like to use this opportunity to say something that I have wanted to say for four weeks… I am truly sorry.”
