Tom Brady's problem with Jeff Ross' roast: 6 things to know about Robert Kraft massage drama
The comment that fired up Tom Brady about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the new Netflix "Greatest Roast of All Time" refers to a 2019 case that blew up internationally involving a day spa in Jupiter.
Kraft, a part-time Palm Beach resident, along with hundreds of other men from Martin, Indian River and other counties, was charged with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution after Jupiter police and other law-enforcement agencies secretly installed hidden cameras inside several massage parlors. The recordings were ruled inadmissible in Palm Beach County and prosecutors dropped the charges.
Four women, including the owner and manager, were arrested and charged with deriving support from proceeds of prostitution.
ϲʹ:New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has charges dropped in Jupiter prostitution sting
Here's what to know:
What was Jeff Ross' roast with Robert Kraft comment and what did Tom Brady say about it?
Jeff Ross, a stand-up comedian known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insults, said Brady had a chat with Kraft after Brady was drafted as the 199th pick in 2000.
" 'I'm the best decision your organization has ever made,' " Ross said. And then, "Would you like a massage?"
Ross blew a kiss, apparently at Kraft.
Brady then got out of his seat on stage and approached Ross. A microphone picked up Brady's comment: “Don’t say that s*** again.”
What happened to Robert Kraft in Florida and what is the massage drama about?
Though the true part of Brady's quip to Kraft about "the best decision" happened in 2000, the massage reference occurred nearly two decades later — when Kraft was charged in 2019.
Kraft was accused of paying for sex at Orchids of Asia, a spa in a shopping center at U.S. 1 and Indiantown Road in Jupiter, after authorities secretly installed cameras permitted by so-called "sneak and peek" warrants.
Kraft was reportedly captured on video amid hundreds of recordings of alleged sex acts performed inside licensed day spas that were later ruled inadmissible in court and in an extraordinary move, ordered destroyed by a judge.
Those cameras were rolling on Jan. 19 and 20 when Kraft was filmed paying two spa employees for sex, according to police reports. The billionaire businessman flew to Kansas City for the AFC championship game hours after the Jan. 20 encounter, police said.
Why did the Florida case involving Robert Kraft fall apart?
Defense attorneys argued that the . Judges from the Fourth District Court of Appeal agreed.
Police installed the cameras under a false report of a bomb threat. The recordings ran for days, showing those accused of paying for sex and those getting legal massages, according to court documents.
said in his ruling that "the fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable and results from the lack of sufficient pre-monitoring written guidelines." County judges normally hear misdemeanor cases.
Circuit Judge Joseph Marx agreed with Hanser's ruling and suppressed the videos allegedly showing four women engaged in prostitution-related crimes at Orchids of Asia.
He said the lacked the requirements that police must take during covert surveillance in order to protect innocent people.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said that without the recordings, he was forced to drop the charges against the men.
ϲʹ:Judge grants motion to destroy recordings of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, others in day-spa probe
What happened to the four women who were charged from the Jupiter day spa?
The cases proceeded against the four women from the Jupiter day spa. Some of their passports were sent to immigration authorities.
Orchids of Asia owner Hua Zhang pleaded to soliciting another to commit prostitution and renting a space to be used for prostitution, both misdemeanor charges. She was sentenced to a year of probation.
pleaded guilty to soliciting another to commit prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor. The conviction was to be withheld from her record if she completed all of the conditions of her yearlong probation.
was convicted of offering to commit prostitution. She was sentenced to the 60 days she had already spent in jail.
Shen Mingbi also pleaded guilty and was sentenced the same as Zhang and Wang.
What did Robert Kraft say about the charges?
Kraft denied the allegations that investigators say were caught on videotape and pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, he did say he was sorry about a month after he was charged.
“I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard," Kraft said in a statement.
Kraft said his "morals" and "soul" were shaped by his late wife, Myra, who died of cancer in 2011.
“Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing. The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women," he said.
What is a 'sneak and peek' warrant?
The warrants have been around since the 1970s but became popular after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
In sneak-and-peek cases, authorities will often stage an elaborate hoax to prevent the target from realizing he is the subject of a search. In the Orchids of Asia case, Jupiter police used the "ruse" of a suspicious package outside the spa to evacuate employees to install the hidden cameras.
A traditional warrant requires authorities to tell the subject of a search before it's conducted.