A source said Kraft insists he didn't do anything wrong and he isn't going to take a deal that indicates he didGETTY IMAGES
After being offered a deferred prosecution agreement by Palm Beach County prosecutors, there is a "good chance" Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT will "reject the first offer made to him and instead begin a defense -- perhaps in hopes of striking a more favorable deal later," according to Michael McCann of SI.com. One "potential appeal to Kraft of the deferred prosecution" is that "technically, he would not be admitting to partaking in solicitation" (SI.com, 3/19). ESPN's T.J. Quinn tweeted the deal offered to Kraft is a "non-starter." Quinn: "Expect intense negotiations over the next week in advance of Kraft's scheduled March 28 court date" (TWITTER.com, 3/19). A source said Kraft "strongly insists he didn't do anything wrong, and he isn't going to take a deal that indicates he did" (NYPOST.com, 3/19).
DEAL DETAILS: In Boston, McDonald, Andersen & Ellement in a front-page piece report prosecutors made an offer to "drop prostitution solicitation charges" against Kraft and the other men involved in the Orchids of Asia Day Spa bust, so long as they "admit they would have been proven guilty at trial." Palm Beach County state attorney's office Exec Assistant MICHAEL EDMONDSON said that the proposed deal was "standard for first-time misdemeanor offenders." Kraft and the other defendants would be "required to perform 100 hours of community service, pay court fees, and attend a course about the social harm caused by prostitution and human trafficking." In exchange, the defendants would "have their cases dismissed and records expunged if they avoid any further brushes with the law for a fixed amount of time." Edmondson said that if Kraft "does not accept the offer, prosecutors plan to take the case to trial" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/20).
DISTANCING HIMSELF: U.S. Sen. EDWARD MARKEY (D-Mass.) said that he "planned to donate campaign contributions he received from Kraft to an organization that works to end human trafficking" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/20).
