Florida masseuse charged in massage parlor sting involving Robert Kraft is ordered to pay $31,500 after pleading guilty to 'soliciting another to commit prostitution'
A South Florida masseuse charged in a prostitution sting involving New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will now be forced to pay thousands of dollars after she pleaded guilty to soliciting another to commit prostitution.
Shen Mingbi, one of the masseuses 79-year-old billionaire Kraft allegedly visited at the Orchids of Asia spa in Jupiter, entered the plea in the Palm Beach County circuit court on Monday as part of a deal with prosecutors.
The 60-year-old was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours of community service. She has the option to forgo the community service in lieu of a payment of $1,000 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Mingbi was also ordered to forfeit $20,000 to the Jupiter Police Department, in addition to the $5,000 bond she previously posted. She also agreed to pay more than $6,573 in other fines and fees as part of the agreement, according to WPTV.
In return, authorities agreed to return Mingbi’s passport back to her, which was seized after her arrest last year, along with her phone. Her bank account was also unfrozen by prosecutors.
The judge ordered Mingbi to report for probation by Wednesday. Her attorney told the court she'd recently been residing in the Orange County area.
Mingbi was one of the masseuses Kraft allegedly visited at the Orchids of Asia spa in Jupiter (shown above)
A soliciting sex charge against billionaire Robert Kraft were thrown out by prosecutors back in September, after two courts blocked video evidence from being submitted in the case
Also on Monday, manager of the spa, Lei Wang, 41, pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors, admitting to one misdemeanor count of soliciting another to commit prostitution, records show.
She had previously been charged with more than 20 counts of the act, along with three felonies: deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, maintaining a house of prostitution, and renting space for prostitution.
Wang was fined $5,623 and also ordered complete 100 hours of community service.
Two other women who worked at Orchids of Asia previously reached deals with prosecutors. Hua Zhang, 59, pleaded guilty last month to two misdemeanors. Lei Chen, 45, pleaded guilty to eight counts of offering to commit prostitution in February.
Zhang ultimately had to pay $6,661 in fines and fees, including the $1,000 fee to opt out of community service. While Wang was ordered to pay $5,623, plus an additional $1,000 if she wants to avoid community service.
A misdemeanour charge against Kraft for soliciting sex, meanwhile, was thrown out by prosecutors back in September after two courts blocked the use of the video evidence that allegedly showed the 79-year-old billionaire paying for sex.
'Although there was probable cause to make an arrest, the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution,' state attorney David Aronberg wrote at the time.
Also on Monday, manager of the spa, Lei Wang (above), 41, pleaded in a deal with prosecutors, admitting to one misdemeanor count of soliciting another to commit prostitution, records show
Two other women who worked at Orchids of Asia previously reached deals with prosecutors. Hua Zhang (left), 59, pleaded guilty last month to two misdemeanors. Lei Chen (right), 45, pleaded guilty to eight counts of offering to commit prostitution in February
The four spa workers, Kraft, and two dozen other men were all charged in February 2019, following a multicounty undercover investigation into massage parlors throughout the state that included the secret installation of video cameras in the spas' lobbies and rooms.
Police said the recordings show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts with women and paying them.
Kraft visited the Orchids of Asia day spa in Jupiter, Florida twice in a 24-hour span in January, according to police records.
The first visit occurred on January 19, 2019, when Kraft allegedly received hand stimulation from 45-year-old spa manager Lei Wang and a 58-year-old spa employee named Shen Mingbi.
According to the affidavit, Kraft paid both women with a $100 bill.
The second visit occurred on January 20, 2019, just hours before Kraft flew to Kansas City for the AFC Title game between the Patriots and the Kansas City Chief.
That day, Kraft allegedly received oral sex from Wang, who is known as 'Lulu.' Kraft allegedly paid her with a $100 bill and another unidentified bill before leaving
Police secretly installed cameras in the Orchid of Asia Day Spa lobby (shown above) and in a number of its massage rooms
Police said secret recordings captured on camera inside the spa (above) show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts with women and paying them
Kraft had pleaded not guilty to solicitation charges but issued a public apology for his actions
The charges against Kraft and the other men were dropped when the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found in August that Jupiter police violated their rights when they secretly installed the cameras in the spa's lobby and massage rooms.
The cameras were reportedly installed by investigators after they falsely claimed to spa workers that they needed to evacuate the building because of a bomb threat.
'I stand behind the decision to file the case,' Aronberg said in a video press conference following the decision to drop charges in September. 'The Orchids of Asia Day Spa was a notorious brothel in a family shopping center right next to a game room that attracted children.'
Kraft had pleaded not guilty to the charge but issued a public apology for his actions.
Charges against the other men were also dropped by Aronberg, who said without the video recordings there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them either.
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