WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. _ Billionaire Robert Kraft got a major court victory Monday when a judge ordered prosecutors are forbidden from using sex videos secretly recorded by police during a massage parlor prostitution sting.
The ruling by Palm Beach County Judge Leonard Hanser effectively ends the prosecution of two misdemeanor counts pending since late February, barring a successful appeal by prosecutors.
Kraft, the 77-year-old owner of the New England Patriots professional football team, had been scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for the scheduling of his trial.
Despite issuing a public apology, Kraft has been battling the charges with the help of an aggressive legal team that had challenged the legality of the investigation by Jupiter police.
The lawyers said police used an unlawful sneak-and-peek warrant to plant secret cameras inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. The recordings led to charges against Kraft and 24 other male customers, along with the owner, manager and two other women who worked there.
Kraft has led the fight to stop media outlets from obtaining the videos in the case through public records request.
In previous rulings so far, Judge Hanser and Circuit Judge Joseph Marx have ordered that all videos from Orchids of Asia concerning alleged crimes must be sealed to ensure that Kraft receives a fair trial.
