Plea deals for Kraft & Co. sends the worst kind of message
Excerpt: New England Patriots football team owner Robert Kraft and other men are being offered a chance to have their solicitation-of-prostitution charges dropped as part of plea deal, the Palm Beach County prosecutor’s office confirmed Tuesday.
The offer was extended not just to the billionaire, but to the other 24 men facing misdemeanor charges after Jupiter police said they were caught on camera soliciting sex at an illicit massage parlor.
Criminal defense attorneys said that typically, pretrial diversion requires that defendants write an apology or write a letter of admission of guilt and pay fines. In exchange, they can get their charges dropped, and then later expunged from their record.
Bottom Line: I don’t believe in “making examples” of people for the sake of doing so. State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s office made clear that plea deals for first time offenders was the norm in this type of circumstance. Maybe it is. But maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe the reason we’re even having this conversation is because that’s the norm. What kind of message is really sent if Robert Kraft & co. Walk with a fine and a clean record? Just don’t get caught a second time?If ever there was a time when there needed to be an example made of someone it’s right now.
As I pointed out in a multi-part series story in the wake of the bust, the real human tragedy and crime isn’t the prostitution. That’s sad, no girl dreams of ever being that person, but the real human tragedy is human trafficking. And as I comprehensively have detailed, the only way to meaningfully make a dent in the future, is to put an end to demand for the services here.
From my February 26th story...
Florida is third nationally for human trafficking. South Florida is the epicenter of Florida’s human trafficking epidemic with Broward ranking first, Palm Beach County second and Miami-Dade third. You’ll notice that it’s not in direct relation to county population either. On a per capita basis Palm Beach County may be about as bad as it gets nationally.
Again, it’s more important to snuff out demand than it is to take out a lone perpetrator. That’s why I’m hopeful that the attention Robert Kraft receives as being among the alleged sexual offenders aiding the evils of human trafficking can be helpful to save the lives of other women in the future.
If ever there was a time to stand on principal in a human trafficking case this would be it. Future victims deserve better.