Lawyers For New England Patriot's Owner Robert Kraft Stop Planned Release Of Video In Prostitution Case

WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) — Videos allegedly involving New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft engaging in sexual acts at a Jupiter spa will not be released until at least April 29, following an emergency motion filed by Kraft's attorneys seeking to block the release of those videos on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, prosecutors said they intended to release videos recorded at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in February.

Kraft's legal team have maintained that releasing it would violate their client's constitutional rights and hamper his chance for a fair trial.

Videos allegedly show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts at a the massage parlor.

The billionaire NFL owner is facing prostitution charges following an undercover sex sting at the facility. Police say Kraft was captured on camera paying for sex acts the weekend of the AFC Championship Game.

Several media outlets, including CBS4 News, argued at a hearing last week that the video should be made public.

"It's in the public interest because a number of people have been accused of criminal actions and the public needs to know whether the state is acting properly in shutting down that activity," said media attorney Martin Reeder.

Defense attorney William Burck argued, "It's basically pornography," adding "Why would anyone need to see that kind of material. . . the world to see it, especially when it's described in painstaking detail by the affidavit?"

Burck's motion argued the release of the video evidence would "destroy any prospect" of a fair trial and is an invasion of privacy. Prosecutors argued that Kraft is not due any privacy rights because this is a criminal case.

Police secretly placed hidden cameras in the day spa to gather evidence of suspected human trafficking.

The video will be pixelated when released, the state said.

"… It is the practice of the Office of the State Attorney to pixelate or blur depictions of obscene or pornographic images before releasing such records to the public, absent a court order," the document says.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney's office said in the filing that it is obligated to release the video to the public and media now, and can't wait for a judge to rule if the video should be kept under seal.

Prosecutors say they would be releasing the video in relation to the case against Lei Wang. Police say Wang was the manager of Orchids of Asia.

"The Public Records Act does not allow a custodian to delay the production of records to allow the resolution of a constitutional challenge to the release of the documents," the state argued.

Wang and Hua Zhang, the owner of the spa, have pleaded not guilty to charges that include maintaining a house of prostitution.

Kraft has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of soliciting prostitution and has requested a jury trial.

Hundreds of people were charged statewide in the multi-jurisdictional sting that began in October of 2018 and also resulted in about 300 male customers being charged, 10 massage parlors being closed and their owners charged with felony prostitution.

Investigators initially said they were targeting human traffickers. However, Assistant State Attorney Greg Kridos told the judge last week there was no evidence of human trafficking at the Jupiter spa.