[NEWS] Massage parlor footage of Patriots owner suppressed in Florida case – Loganspace AI

(Reuters) – Hidden-digital camera photos of Current England Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft at a Florida rubdown parlor cannot be frail as proof in his trial on costs of soliciting prostitution, a mediate ruled on Monday in a victory for the billionaire.

Attorneys for the proprietor of the reigning Astronomical Bowl champions had asked the Florida mediate to suppress the video, calling it governmental overreach from an illegally obtained search warrant.

The Palm Seaside County mediate focused his ruling on what he deemed a lack of “minimization” procedures to restrict the invasion of privacy of the rubdown parlor’s clients.

“The courtroom finds that the quest warrant does now not own required minimization guidelines, and that minimization tactics employed on this case did now not fulfill constitutional necessities,” Mediate Leonard Hanser wrote in the 12-page ruling.

The video may per chance per chance additionally had been key proof against Kraft, who faces two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution on Jan. 19 and 20 at Orchids of Asia Spa in Jupiter, Florida, along with some two dozen other males.

The opposite defendants additionally may per chance per chance additionally profit from the suppression of the video photos.

Michael Edmondson, a spokesman for the tell attorney for Palm Seaside County, acknowledged in an electronic mail his situation of job used to be reviewing the characterize. He did now not correct now notify if an enchantment used to be planned.

POLICE STOP

Hanser additionally suppressed proof from a police dwell of Kraft’s chauffeured vehicle on Jan. 19, after he left the rubdown parlor. Police stopped the vehicle to substantiate the identity of the person they captured on video on the parlor minutes earlier, Hanser wrote.

“Defendant’s identity used to be now not known to laws enforcement unless he used to be stopped,” Hanser wrote. “Due to the this fact, all knowledge obtained thru the dwell is suppressed as the fruit of an unlawful search.”

Prosecutors at a listening to closing month acknowledged Kraft, 77, may per chance per chance additionally now not absorb anticipated privacy on the parlor because it used to be a industry establishment.

Additionally closing month, Hanser temporarily blocked prosecutors from releasing the video photos to media retail outlets, which had requested copies under the tell’s begin records laws.

Kraft, proprietor of the Current England Patriots since 1994, pleaded now not responsible to the misdemeanor criminal counts against him. He has issued a public apology for his actions.

The warrant for the hidden cameras, Kraft’s attorneys claimed, used to be secured under groundless pretenses because police cited human trafficking as a doable crime of their application. Prosecutors absorb since acknowledged the investigation yielded no proof of trafficking.