The counts are third-degree felonies. 796.07(2)(f)...
(2) It is unlawful:
(f) To solicit, induce, entice, or procure another to commit prostitution, lewdness, or assignation.
And, because it's in a massage parlor, it's upgraded a tick
(7) If the place, structure, building, or conveyance that is owned, established, maintained, or operated in violation of paragraph (2)(a) is a massage establishment that is or should be licensed under s. 480.043, the offense shall be reclassified to the next higher degree as follows:
and:
(5)(a) A person who violates paragraph (2)(f) commits:
1. A misdemeanor of the first degree for a first violation, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
And that makes it a third-degree felony. He could (but won't) get 10 in the clink for it.
He also is subject to the Personal Conduct Policy. Meaning not only can he be suspended and fined (and longer than players for the same offense -- because owners are black-letter supposed to set better examples), but all ancillary team fines and the like can apply as if it were a player.
It does not appear it will go to the extent of his being forced to sell the team...
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UNLESS...
Let's revisit the question that someone who talked to me about it this morning before my first post on the subject: Who'd he piss off?
I think the bigger point, though, has to be made by Adam Schefter's comments this morning, that he said that Kraft was NOT the biggest name of the 200 or so men found at a string of Florida massage parlors, being serviced by foreign women in a sex-trafficking ring of at least the massage parlors.
But here is just a SMALL sampling of some of the things which have come out about this case...
The women, who are mostly in their 20s and 30s and "don’t speak one word of English," did not have access to showers, stoves, or transportation.— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) February 22, 2019
"We do not treat these women as suspects," one Florida Sheriff said. "The true monsters are the men."https://t.co/pKH7VIFaoS
BREAKING: ESPN's Schefter reports that "there are people being arrested that are prominent members of society" as "175 more names" are expected to be announced. https://t.co/Wxp2XZBKED
So the questions are two-fold:
First, why would such high-profile men be taking such services at such low-level places?
The easy answer would be that they would not be noticed, recalling the problems the NBA had when it was revealed that a number of basketball players were being sexually serviced at Atlanta strip clubs.
But the far bigger question:
They have now announced that Robert Kraft, the most prominent owner in the NFL, and often seen as Deputy Commissioner to Roger Goodell, has not only been arrested for soliciting prostitution, but is not even the biggest "name" to have had done so.
They've got something -- and they've got something BIG. And I think it's far above the sexual solicitation of foreign women illegally in four jurisdictions of Florida massage parlors.
For Robert Kraft to take the fall FIRST leaves the question of: Who else, and what?
As the Deadspin article mentioned in one of the posts below notes openly: Someone knew, and someone knew BIG. The question becomes what there was to know about...
Yeah, it sucks that he won't have to sell the team for this. Maybe the other owners could fire Goodell and tell Brady and Belicheat to retire.
ReplyDeleteSwitching gears, though, this could be devastating for all levels of football:
ESPN: For the NFL and All of Football, a New Threat: An Evaporating Insurance Market
I could see one scenario -- if it comes out at some point, especially this offseason, that he's part of the human trafficking angle and that this isn't just the parlors as far as the human trafficking goes.
DeleteThat WOULD be enough to get Kraft thrown out of the league.
So who did Bob Kraft piss off? Well as they say,follow the money.Who bet a large amount of money on the Super Bowl on the Rams or who bet the Over and lost big time.That would be my first guess.
ReplyDeleteOther than Bettor X, Paul, there were not that many large bets on the Rams in any capacity.
DeleteMost of the bets were on the Rams. But they were small-money bets -- because most of the money was on the Patriots.