Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution in Florida, court records show.
Attorneys for Kraft, 77, electronically filed the plea Monday in Palm Beach County Court. It seeks a nonjury trial.
Kraft was charged following a sex trafficking investigation of central Florida day spas and massage parlors suspected of being used for prostitution. The billionaire, who has a home in Palm Beach, was among 25 people accused, prosecutors said.
The investigation began when a health inspector observed curious details that suggested women might be living at the day spa.
Authorities say surveillance footage caught Kraft visiting a spa in Jupiter on January 19 and 20 and paying for services in cash.
After the second alleged visit the morning of January 20, Kraft’s plane took off from Palm Beach bound for Kansas City just before 2 p.m., flight information shows. The jet landed in Kansas City about two hours before the Patriots played the Kansas City Chiefs, data from flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange shows.
The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail, a $5,000 civil penalty and a mandatory 100 hours of community service.