Prosecutors drop charges against Patriots owner Robert Kraft after cops bungled sex sting

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Florida prosecutors on Thursday dropped all criminal charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, ending a flawed case that began with a police prostitution sting using secret video cameras at a Palm Beach County massage parlor early last year.

Last month, a state appellate court sided with Kraft’s arguments that Jupiter police unlawfully recorded the part-time Palm Beach resident with his clothes off at Orchids of Asia Day Spa on Jan. 19, 2019, and Jan. 20, 2019.

In charging Kraft, prosecutors said he paid in cash and then got naked for sex acts. The videotaping at the business lasted for five days, leading to the solicitation of prostitution charges against Kraft, 79, and 24 other men.

But the Florida appeals court upheld rulings by lower courts that police improperly used so-called “sneak-and-peek” warrants to ensnare Kraft and the others.

Those rulings found that the warrants violated a federal law that requires police to minimize the intrusion of the cameras and focus only on crimes. There is no applicable Florida law on silent video surveillance.

Without the video evidence, the prosecution could not continue to press for a conviction.

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