Mr. Kraft is Ordered to Appear in Court Even as The Tug Rule Case Crumbles
Mike Reiss – New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been ordered to attend an arraignment hearing related to his misdemeanor charges of solicitation. … Though the court order says Kraft “must be present” or face a bond forfeiture and a warrant for his arrest, the rules of criminal procedure allow Kraft’s lawyer to waive his presence at the arraignment. …
The hearing has also been moved back a day to March 28, one day after the NFL owners meetings conclude in Phoenix. The arraignment was initially set for April before being rescheduled to March last week.
I must say that’s quite a coincidence that the arraignment on a misdemeanor offense that in every other case means the accused doesn’t have to appear in court suddenly requires an order for the accused to appear in court. And that of all the days on the calendar, this one gets rescheduled to the day after one of the most heavily covered press events of the year. How could these two incredibly unlikely events have occurred with this one case? In the words of Al Pacino in And Justice for All, “It’s a show! It’s a just a show! Let’s Make a Deal! You wanna make a deal???”
I respect law enforcement. Which is to say, I respect most rank-and-file police. But let’s not confuse cops with politicians. District Attorneys are the most political animals in the world. And Florida state attorney Dave Aronberg is proving that no one is going to out-politic him. The only reason to compel Mr. Kraft to show up in court is for the photo op. So this grandstanding hack can get some face time in front of ever news camera in the country and make himself out to be a hero of women (and, more importantly, women voters) like he’s Liam Neeson single-handedly wiping out international human trafficking. How? By embarrassing a 77-year-old famous guy who allegedly got a consensual handjibber from a 58-year-old licensed masseuse.
And as far as that human trafficking ring they’re busting up? It’s been two weeks since the story broke and still no charges of that. Just experts on the topic – people who are actually doing something about it – causing the ground under Aronberg’s case to crumble:
[F]ormer police detective John Rode, founder of the nonprofit Global Children’s Rescue, which helps save human trafficking victims, there’s something about the investigation that doesn’t sit well. … If these women were truly forced into sexual slavery, as police allegedly suspected, then it would be tantamount to watching repeated rapes in order to bust the customers on misdemeanor charges.
“The number-one concern should have been to rescue the victims,” said Rode. “How could they look at this case as these women being victims and then watch the victims perform sex with the customers? It’s like letting a robbery occur and not doing anything.”
And the criminal case is actually in legal trouble, too:
A South Florida man has filed a lawsuit against the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for wrongfully arresting him as part of their investigation into a sex trafficking ring at several massage parlors … reports Fox News. …
“[A]mong those arrested was Sandipkumar Patel — who last week was cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Patel did not frequent the massage parlors alleged to have been a part of the sex trafficking ring. He was arrested in late February when investigators wrongfully connected him to the Florida Therapy Spa by way of a four-door Porsche that was parked nearby. The car did not belong to him. …
“Shame and dishonor not only fell upon me but upon my family and our family name,” Patel said in a news conference on Tuesday. … “Imagine what your two little girls must be thinking and wondering. … Imagine thinking about killing yourself. This did not have to happen.” …
The Patel’s attorney, David Golden, said Tuesday that the Sheriff’s office was “willing to sacrifice proper investigative work and our civil liberties for yet another arrest.”?
Imagine? Imagine being this poor bastard:
But that’s the human cost of a sting operation meant to score points with the electorate by hoping to nab someone with a famous name. That’s the collateral damage of a politician’s unbridled lust for power. Innocent men’s names put out there for the world to see. A father of young girls thinking about taking his own life. A man accused of a minor offense being ordered to parade himself in front of cameras for the crime of being a celebrity. While real heroes of the anti-trafficking cause shake their heads and wonder why the police are wasting their time on this.
The reason is state attorney David Aronberg. He doesn’t want a man’s balls touched by a day spa owner, but he has zero problem unnecessarily busting them.