President Trump Weighs in on Robert Kraft Warrant

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in a stock photo Christian Petersen/Getty Images

After New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged in a prostitution sting, President Donald Trump weighed in.

The 77-year-old billionaire is accused of paying for sex at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida. His name was among about a dozen people who were charged in the sting.

Jupiter police chief Daniel Kerr said that video evidence was collected, leading to a warrant, reported local news website TCPalm.

Kraft, however, has categorically denied the charges against him.

“We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity,” a Patriots spokesperson said in a statement to news outlets. “Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further,” NBC Sports reported.

In reports, he was accused of paying $59 and $79 for services.

Trump commented on the matter, saying he was “very surprised to see it.”

“It’s very sad,” he told reporters at the White House. “He’s proclaimed his innocence totally, but I’m very surprised to see it.”

The NFL also stated: “The NFL is aware of the ongoing law enforcement matter and will continue to monitor developments,” CBS Sports reported.

Kraft’s arrest could very well get him in trouble with the league. “Conduct by anyone in the league that is illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others in the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL,” the league’s policy says, according to CBS.

Kraft was not immediately arrested. Jupiter police said a warrant will be issued and his attorneys will be notified. They said details about the misdemeanor charges against the owner of the Super Bowl champion team will not be released until next week, reported The Associated Press.

“We are as equally stunned as everyone else,” Chief Kerr said.

Kraft, who made his billions owning an investment firm, purchased the New England Patriots in 1994. Since then, his team has won six Super Bowls, including the most recent one in February 2019.

Kraft lives in Massachusetts but has a home in the Palm Beach area.

Police said the sting was carried out after the Orchid spa was linked to international human trafficking.

The Orchids spa and nine others were shut down in Orlando, the Treasure Coast, and Palm Beach County amid the investigation, reported TCPalm. Local officials said there were women in “sexual servitude” at the spas, according to arrest records.

Recently, President Trump proclaimed January as a month to abolish human trafficking around the world.

“Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery,” he said. “We are morally obligated to confront and defeat the abhorrent practice of human trafficking, and I am keeping my pledge to take aggressive action.”

In the Dec. 31 proclamation, he linked stopping human trafficking to building a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.