Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

The Latest: 2nd masseuse in Kraft case arrested

The Latest: 2nd masseuse in Kraft case arrested | iNFOnews.ca
FILE- This Feb. 19, 2019, file photo, shows the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla. Nearly three dozen men and women have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing Florida authorities of unlawfully videotaping them as they received legal massages at a parlor where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others allegedly paid for sex. The lawsuit by 31 John and Jane Does alleges that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, the Jupiter Police Department and the case's lead detective violated their rights to privacy when they were videotaped in January receiving massages at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. The lawsuit was originally filed Friday, April 19, 2019, with 17 accusers. (Hannah Morse/Palm Beach Post via AP, File)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Latest on the prostitution case against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

A second massage therapist who detectives in Florida say performed a sex act on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been arrested and faces several prostitution charges.

Shen Mingbi had a hearing in Palm Beach County on Tuesday, a day after she was arrested. Through a Mandarin interpreter, she was ordered to surrender her passport and stay away from massage parlours.

A $5,000 bond was set for a felony charge and she was granted release on her own recognizance for eight misdemeanour counts.

Her attorney, Antonio Recinos, says she will plead not guilty.

An arrest affidavit says that Mingbi performed sex acts on Kraft, former Citigroup President John Havens and others while working as a masseuse at Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Jupiter, Florida, detectives say they found $43,000 in unreported cash in Mingbi’s bank safe deposit box.

___

1:05 p.m.

A Florida judge has ordered that a video police say shows New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paying for sex not be publicly released for now.

Palm Beach County Judge Leonard Hanser accepted arguments by Kraft’s attorneys that releasing the video could harm chances for a fair trial on misdemeanour prostitution charges, and ruled Tuesday that it shouldn’t be handed to the media as a public record until a jury is seated, a plea agreement is reached or the state drops the case.

Kraft was one of several men charged with solicitation after police secretly installed cameras at the Orchids of Asia massage parlour in Jupiter, Florida, in what authorities initially said was an investigation into human trafficking. Prosecutors have since said they found no evidence of trafficking at the spa.

___

10:30 a.m.

Attorneys for two Florida massage parlour employees plan to ask a judge to hold police and prosecutors responsible for the possible unauthorized release of video that they say shows New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paying for sex.

The New York Daily News reported last week that someone anonymously contacted TheBlast.com saying they had video showing Kraft naked with another person, presumably a massage therapist at the Orchids of Asia day spa in Jupiter.

Attorneys for spa owner Hua Zhang and therapist Lei Wang planned to ask a judge Tuesday to hold Jupiter police and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office responsible. The court had barred release of the videos until it can be determined if they qualify as public records.

Kraft and the women have pleaded not guilty to prostitution charges.

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

iNFOTEL

Related Articles