(JTA) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty on Monday to two charges of soliciting prostitution, according to court records.
On Friday, police in Florida announced that Kraft was one of some 100 men caught up in raids on massage parlors in Martin County. The charges concern visits by Kraft to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in the city of Jupiter, near where he keeps a home. Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr told WPTV that there is video evidence of all the men who are being charged.
Kraft, with a net worth of $6.6 billion, is the 79th richest American, according to Forbes. He is the chairman and CEO of Kraft Group, a holding company with assets in sports, manufacturing and real estate development. The Patriots, winner of this year’s Super Bowl, are among the most successful franchises in professional sports.
Over decades, the Kraft family has given more than half a billion dollars to causes including health care, education, the Jewish community, Christian organizations and local needs.
Kraft, who grew up in an Conservative Jewish family in Brookline, Massachusetts, was recently named the winner of the $1 million Genesis Prize, the so-called Jewish Nobel, for having “spoken out publicly and donated generously to organizations combating prejudices, including anti-Semitism and the de-legitimization of the State of Israel.” On Thursday, the prize said it was giving Kraft the award despite the allegations.
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