(Bloomberg) -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has won a court battle to get video evidence thrown out of his visit to a South Florida massage parlor, where he is accused of soliciting prostitution.
The court found that the search warrant didn't meet guidelines. The order granting Kraft's motion to suppress the evidence noted that innocent women and men -- in addition to the accused -- were captured on the surveillance video, which the court said was "unacceptable."
Kraft has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Kraft has emerged as the most famous defendant in the bust of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, in a part of America where many of the nation's wealthy and influential have homes. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg initially hinted that the spa investigation was part of a broader probe into human trafficking rings, but prosecutors have since acknowledged they've found no such connection.
That in turn has left the defense to question why the case necessitated such invasive detective work.
The Jupiter Police Department installed five cameras at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in January 2019, one of which captured Kraft "allegedly engaging in sexual activity," according to the court document.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Levin in Miami at jlevin20@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net
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