New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will not accept a deal offered by prosecutors in Florida who charged him last month with soliciting prostitution, CNN reported Wednesday.
The news network cited an unidentified source familiar with the case.
Authorities last month charged Kraft, 77, and dozens of other men as part of a crackdown on illicit massage parlors and human trafficking in Florida. On Tuesday, the Palm Beach State Attorney confirmed to The Associated Press that Kraft and 24 other men had been offered plea deals as part of the standard diversion program offered to first-time offenders.
The deal would require the men to admit they would have been convicted if brought to trial and to perform 100 hours of community service, attend a class on the dangers of prostitution and pay $5,000 per count against them, the AP reported.
In exchange, prosecutors would drop charges of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution against the men.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the proposed deal.
Authorities charged Kraft last month with two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution, a misdemeanor, after he was videotaped at Orchids of Asia Day Spa in January. Kraft has denied the allegation.
He is scheduled to be arraigned March 28, according to CNN.
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