Articles Posted in Sex Crimes

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been charged with soliciting prostitution at a Palm Beach County spa just hours before the Patriots played in the AFC Championship Game, according to reports.

The 77-year-old billionaire is among 25 people charged with soliciting another to commit prostitution.

The charges resulted from a monthslong investigation into sex trafficking that focused on several central Florida day spas and massage parlors suspected of being used for prostitution. The investigation began when a health inspector observed curious details that suggested women might be living at the day spa.

The man faces two counts of soliciting someone to commit prostitution. He allegedly visited a spa in Jupiter on January 19 in the afternoon and again on the morning of January 20, according to the affidavits.

The Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City later on the 20th to advance to the Super Bowl.

Under Florida law, the charge is a first degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail, a $5,000 civil penalty, and a mandatory 100 hours of community service and educational program on the negative effects of prostitution and human trafficking.

Covert surveillance equipment was apparently installed at the spa on January 17 as part of the investigation, according to reports.

On the afternoon of the January 19, the cameras allegedly show Kraft visited the spa and paid for services in cash at the front desk, and he was then taken to a massage room, undressed and lay on a massage bed. A female employee can be seen on the video allegedly manipulating his genitals and later wiping Kraft’s genitals with a towel, according to the affidavit.

Afterward, Kraft left the facility and got into a white Bentley, and police then conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and confirmed his ID, reports indicate.

The next day, Kraft allegedly returned to the spa at about 10:59 a.m. and again undressed and lay face up on a massage table, the affidavit states. There, a woman apparently began manipulating his genitals and then put her head down by his genitals, the report states. After a few minutes, the woman used a towel to wipe Kraft near his genitals.

Kraft allegedly gave her a $100 bill plus at least one other unidentifiable bill and left the room at 11:13 a.m., according to the document.

Facing a solicitation charge in South Florida is a very serious prostitution-related offense that needs the assistance of an experienced Solicitation Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton. We have defended clients accused of a variety of prostitution and solicitation offenses and understand just how devastating these accusations can be for the accused and their family. We are compassionate criminal defense attorneys that will fight to clear your name.

Solicitation is the process of seeking a sexual act for payment or asking or inviting someone to engage in prostitution. The law requires that two people be involved in the solicitation. A person charged with solicitation must have actually approached another person and offered to pay for a sex act, either in public or in private, or through word or gesture.

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A federal jury convicted a Lake Worth man of sex trafficking women and girls during a decade in South Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

The 42-year-old was accused of trafficking multiple women and two girls for commercial sex from 2008 through 2017.

The women lived at the man’s homes and traveled to hotels and other locations to meet men and engage in sex for money, which the man kept, prosecutors said.

The man used violence to force the women to participate, authorities said.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office human trafficking task force arrested the man in November 2017 after one of the women’s father contacted them, the agency said then.

The federal jury handed up its decision on Dec. 20. The man was convicted of three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of obstructing a human trafficking investigation.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26. He could face a prison sentence of 15 years to life.

Society considers sex crimes to be some of the most heinous crimes. A conviction for a sex offense can result in serious penalties, including mandatory registration as a sex offender on the Florida Public Sex Offender Registry. In the court of public opinion, the mere accusation of a sex offense can make you appear guilty in the eyes of others, including jurors. This bias often leads to false convictions and harsh sentencing.

If you have been convicted of a sex offense, like human trafficking, you may think your fate has been sealed. However, that is not necessarily true. The prosecution, juries and judges can make mistakes, legal errors, and new evidence may come to light, which all award you the right to pursue post-conviction rights.

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A 17-year-old teen from Boynton Beach was charged with molesting a 10-year-old boy after he allegedly admitted it to the boy’s mother, according to police.

The teen faces charges of sexual battery of a child and lewd and lascivious molestation.

Police apparently began investigating July 18 when they met a Delray Beach woman and her 10-year-old son at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach. The woman said she confronted  the teen about rumors that he had molested a child in Delray Beach. The report indicates that the teen admitted that he had touched her son.

Investigators with the Child Protection Team allegedly found signs of sexual abuse on the boy.

According to police, the boy said the teen raped him in a closet.

The teen was booked into Palm Beach County Jail and held without bond.

If your child has been accused of rape or another sex crime in Palm Beach County, it is important to speak with an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Due to the potential consequences that could come with a juvenile sex crime conviction, and the fact that police and prosecutors are already building a case, it is imperative to exercise your right to legal representation.

What you may not know is that a juvenile can be arrested for the same types of sex crimes as adults. This includes rape, sexual assault, child molestation and related charges. Our South Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton will examine all of the evidence of the alleged sex crime, including witness statements, police reports, DNA evidence and other physical evidence. We will conduct our own investigation into the charges and determine how best to proceed.

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