robert kraft -- full disdisclos, i saw robert kraft. we had a brief conversation, mr. kraft and my children, at an elevator in a hotel. when you heard the news, robert kraft arrested alleged to have solicited prostitutes? >> john, robert kraft is arguably the best known owner in sports. there are a few others out there, too, but he's certainly in the top five, maybe the top three in all u.s. sports. so he has farther to fall than almost anyone. as you well know, he is one of the faces of the new england patriots. they played in ten super bowls, they have won a record six championships under robert kraft. he is so recognizable, he is so well known, and he really represents his franchise the way most owners don't in the sense that he's out front, very visible, and deflategate, very visible in that controversy several years ago. so the potential down side of something like this for robert kraft, john, is even worse than it would be for most people because so many people know exactly who he is. >> to your point, he's an icon in new england for turning what was a losing fra

robert kraft. >> robert kraft, the owner of the new england patriots? >> yes, sir. >> what is he being charged with? >> he is being charged with the same offenses as the others, and that is soliciting another to commit prostitution. >> a spokesperson for the patriots' owner issued this statement. we categorically deny that mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity. because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further. we have reporter anthony costira from our affiliate wbtf. he was at that news conference. we have boston globe cnn writer ben bowlen and former prosecutor laura coates with us. anthony, this was part of a police sting, so there was a number of people netted in this. tell us more about it. >> reporter: really, this stems from a months-long investigation here in south florida that stemmed back, actually, over the summer. in total there are about five spas that are related, a handful of suspects, females who are accused of leading this prostitution human trafficking type of sting, and then hundreds of what police are calling joh

not robert kraft.here front and center, which means that when you're at that lofty perch, the only place you can go if there's a situation like this, is you plummet. and he has -- he could fall very, very hard. and i think his reputation will be harmed forever, assuming that we find out that he was involved in some way in this. >> and we've seen not exactly this particular instance, but we've seen examples in the past of very high-profile, very wealthy sports owners who have found themselves in the middle of controversy. you think of the owner of the los angeles clippers who was forced out by the league. of course, the former owner of the california panthers also had issues that forced him out of the league. you know, how much can roger goodell in the nfl do in terms of putting pressure on robert kraft in this situation? obviously, they're probably going to allow some time to figure out exactly what the legal case is against him. but could there be a scenario where they force robert kraft to sell the n

in fact i just talked to robert kraft on the sidelines in atlanta just a few weeks ago. but robert kraft now being charged with two counts of solicitation of prostitution after a human trafficking investigation there in florida. andrea mitchell is standing by. "andrea mitchell reports" starts right now. >>> and good afternoon, i'm andrea mitchell in washington with this breaking news from jupiter, florida at this hour. new england patriots owner robert kraft has just been charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution at a massage parlor in florida. right now florida authorities are processing a warrant for mr. kraft, who is on the part of the a resident of the state. joining me now, nbc legal contributor danny cevallos from new york. danny, as you heard just now from kerry sanders, there have been multiple people spotted going in and out of this facility. this involves human trafficking. can you give us any details? >> right now what we've seen is that kraft is apparently charged along with other folks who had been soliciting, allegedly, prostitution at this locatio

new england patriots owner robert kraft is being charged with solicitation of prostitution. police say kraft was caught in a part of a large-scale sex crackdown leading to hundreds of arrest warrants. >>> and also r. kelly due in court today, he turned himself into police last night after being indicted on ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. we want to start with the arrest of r. kelly there. overnight, police released this new mug shot of the singer. >> kelly is accused of committing sexual acts on three children older than 13 but younger than 17. joining us this morning, the executive producer of "surviving r. kelly." we'll speak to them in a moment. we also have criminal defense attorney and cnn analyst joey jackson standing by. but first, we're going to cnn's sara sidner. sara, kelly is in jail. bring us up to speed. >> we'll let you know what happened around 8:00 in chilling. we were there outside of central booking. r. kelly began the evening at his studio, where we saw him coming out of the studio. and he drove a couple of miles and ended up going straight

robert kraft. >> robert kraft, the owner of the new england patriots? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: kraft, among nearly 200 charged in a sweeping prostitution ring. authorities saying they have video evidence of kraft visiting the orchids of asia day spa on two occasions. engaging in a sex act. >> does it seem like he was there as a regular? >> i would say, going through the evidence, yes. >> reporter: in a statement, a spokesperson for kraft saying, "we categorically deny that mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity. because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further." kraft, whose patriots won their sixth super bowl earlier this month -- er. >> once again, the patriots are world champions. >> reporter: is close friends with president trump. >> no team has been this good for this long. >> reporter: the president asked about it today in the oval office. >> well, it's very sad. i was very surprised to see it. he's proclaimed his innocence totally. but i'm very surprised to see it. >> reporter: jupiter police say their investigation has been

not robert kraft. the deflategate story, defending his quarterback, tom brady, to the end. i think most sports fans -- many people in the culture don't even follow sports that closely, they know who robert kraft is. and, of course, that is all of robert kraft's doing. now the fact he is in the news for this, well, the potential fall, if there is a fall, of course, is even more dramatic and profound, because of the lofty perch that he has chosen for himself. >> excellent way of putting it. and kraft denies this. a spokesman for him put out a statement that says they categorically deny that mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity. because it is a judicial matter , we will not be commenting further. his team just won the super bowl. take this all together. could this have implications for the team or his ownership? >> it absolutely could. there is a personal conduct policy, kate, for everyone in the national football league. that is not just the players or the coaches. this also goes all the way to the

of course we're outside one of them which is where police say robert kraft visited on at least two occasions. his spokesperson has denied that mr. kraft did anything illegal. i should mention though that as we wait for more from authorities, we're learning really a bit more about what is happening inside of these locations. the women mainly adult aged women from china were subjected to some shred difficult conditions inside, forced to work as basically modern day sex slaves. take a listen. >> it was clear that multiple women were working and living inside the spas. they were cooking on the back steps of the business. they were sleeping on the massage tables. they had no access to transportation. >> reporter: the sheriff goes on to say this was a massive multimonth, multiagency investigation. believe it or not, it actually started as one red flag that came from a health inspector back in july who visited an area spa and noticed an indication that people were living at that electio location. they started asking questions and that eventually led to the arrest of at least seven operators of thes

cops say they caught robert kraft in a sting at a massage parlor. he's accused of soliciting prostitution more than once. cops say there's video. the story and the patriots response ahead. singer r. kelly indicted for aggravated sex abuse. the latest twist in a sickening history in an allegation involving underage girls, sex tapes and a sex cult. a news conference with prosecutors set to start any moment. and jussie smollett out for the season. the news decision from the "empire" producers after police accuse him of a hate crime hoax in chicago. breaking news. president trump speaking right now in the oval office. we're waiting for the video to feed. he weighs in on a lot of topics including prostitution charges against robert kraft. i'm trace gallagher in nor shepard smith. the news starts right now. >> trace: police in jupiter, florida, naming robert kraft in a prostitution sting. they say they have video of him paying for a sex act in a strip mall massage parlor and video from hidden cameras inside the building. >> the question was does the video

robert kraft. >> robert kraft, the owner of the new england patriots? >> yes, sir is. >> reporter: police in florida have charged 77-year-old robert kraft with two counts of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution. he's one of 25 men charged with paying for sex acts at a massage parlor in jupiter. they claim to have video evidence recorded on undercover cameras at least twice. >> the video that we obtained, it shows the act that took place. >> reporter: if so, that evidence could lead to a plea bargain. >> if there is video evidence, my guess is he will plead guilty and negotiate some kind of agreement with the prosecutor. >> reporter: president trump is friendly with kraft and commented from the white house. >> it's very sad. i was very surprised to see it. he's proclaimed his innocence totally, but i'm very surprised to see it. >> reporter: the charge comes as florida police have been tracking down on sex trafficking in the area around palm beach. they'll be issuing a warrant for kraft's arrest. >> we're as equally stunned as everybody else. >> reporter:

we're as equally stunned as everybody else. >> shocking charges against new england patriots owner robert kraft kraft faces two counts of solicitation of a prostitute. >> the video that we obtained shows the act that took place. >> robert kelly was indicted before a cook county grand jury. >> prosecutors unveiled a ten- count indictment against music superstar r. kelly for aggravated criminal sexual abuse. >> special counsel, robert mueller's report, will not be delivered to the d.o.j. next week. >> there was no collusion, so i look forward to seeing the report. >> reporter: producers of the tv show "empire" say jussie smollett's character will be removed from the final two episodes of this season. >> they say it was done to avoid "further disruption on set." >> severe storms in parts of the midsouth. >> heavy rain causing flooding. >> some roads are impassable. >> glor: and steve hartman "on the road." how do you pay back your best friend? >> i feel like she deserves so much more. that dog saved my life. >> glor: good evening, i'm jeff glor. and this is our western edition. we are going to beg

we're told that that defense attorney gave the state attorney's office the palm beach address of robert kraft so that's where he would be summoned from. but here, the onus is on kraft to turn himself in. nobody is going to be knocking down his door here in florida or trying to extradite him from massachusetts. it's on him to show up here and turn himself in, which we don't expect him to do. he has every right to deal with this entirely through his attorney, communicating with the state's attorney's office here in palm beach and as a first time offender, we're told by the state attorney's office, it is very unlikely he would see any jail time. the maximum penalty being 60 days in jail, but more likely, community service, maybe a fine, maybe an educational component. >> okay. we wait for those details with you in west palm beach. we'll take the news conference when it begins. >>> president trump u is in the air flying to hanoi, vietnam, for his second summit with kim jong- jong-un. as the president works toward a future of denuclearization, his past just may steal the spotlight from this major

york city to palm beach, florida. >> this is the tip of the tip of the iceberg. >>> the summons robert kraft received yesterday isn't much different than a speeding ticket. for first offenders like kraft in this situation, it's very unlikely he will see jail time. don't expect to see robert kraft in handcuffs or even in court, his attorney can handle that. thank you for telling us the details. joining us now is laura coast, a former prosecutor. do you agree with everything we've heard even though this carries up to a one year prison sentence, robert kraft is not going to jail? >> i do agree it is unlikely he will. the reason is he's not yet being attached to the human trafficking element. if that were the case, if this were to somehow evolve into him either knowing there was human trafficking inside or complicit in some way or part of a larger operation, this sort of crime likely will be a probationary or one that involves the community service element or, as the press conference noted, the whole goal is to attach it to an educational element. jail or not, he will likely sitting through a co

>> breaking news and to the -- shockwaves as the billionaire owner of the new england patriots robert kraft is charged in a day spra prostitution sting. tonight the video surveillance operation that caught the architect of an nfl dynasty and powerful friend of the president. we have reaction from south florida to boston. >>> also breaking, prosecutors charging singer r. kelly of sexually abusing underage girls for more than a decade. one of kelly's alleged victims in the speaks to nbc news. >>> new fallout in the jussie smollett saga. and we take a loser look at the technology please say they used to unravel the story. >>> there is late word in the mueller investigation, the looming mueller report. >>> richard engel is inside syria with the isis bride begging to return to america. >> i'm just as american as any blonde hair, blue-eyed girl and i would like to stay in my country. >> one of thousands of isis wives and children here now looking to leave. >>> the parents cutting a plea deal in the california house of horrors. 13 children found shackled in their home. one of the kids making a dar

. >>> breaking news on robert kraft, let's listen in. you can tell a lot about our community. it treats the most vulnerable individuals and that includes victims of human trafficking which is modern day slavery. human trafficking is a business of stealing someone's freedom for profits including -- it can happen anywhere, including the peaceful community of jupiter, florida. our office is joined with the fbi and the county sheriff's office to help start with a human trafficking task force. we realize there is a lot more to do. these cases are not about any one defendant or any group of defense. the larger picture we must confront is the cold reality many cases like this are the victims and lured into this country with promises of a better life only be forced to live in a sweat shop or a brothal, performing sex acts for strangers. human trafficking is built on fraud or coercion. it is evil. it is fuelled by the demand side. demands by law-abiding citizens who don't want to be aware of those being exploited. human trafficking occurred in plain sight which is why i am hopeful that

thank you. >>> we're following charges against the new england patriots' owner robert kraft who was caught a prostitution sting at a florida day spa. let's go to jason carroll working this story for us. police have video evidence against kraft. what is he being charged with? >> reporter: allegations relating to soliciting a prostitu prostitute. he denied the allegations through a spokesperson. police say they have all the evidence they need. they say it's on tape. police in florida shocked that robert kraft is allegedly caught in their sting operation at a day spa. >> we're as equally stunned as everybody else. >> reporter: charged with two counts of soliciting another for prostitution. >> much of our evidence comes from the businesses. also from body-worn cameras of our officers and also surveillance that we had been conducting. >> reporter: police say kraft visited the spa on two occasions and they say they have videos allegedly showing him in a room receiving what detectives characterize as paid acts. their investigation into human trafficking at the spa lasted several months, more than

and i don't mean involving robert kraft.bout the human trafficking that has gone on down there. i'm also told that robert kraft is not the biggest name involved down there in south florida. we will see what the police turn up in court. >> juan: adam schiff said people turn up, part of the urgency of this is the video, apparently, the police had cameras inside the orchid of asia spa and actually have video of acts taking place and what does that mean in a legal sense to you? >> you set a couple of things but number one for surveillance video used, the first question, pretty much that could be slam-dunk evidence, right? and the charges of engaging in an act with and lower level crime's slam-dunk. but the larger picture fleshed out for viewers for a moment which is this is a multi-county, multi-country, human trafficking investigation. and the reason why florida is particularly ripe for this, last year they did a scene similar investigation and arrested 277 individuals for the same kind of thing. on the low-end up, up to human

. >>> the owner of the new england patriots robert kraft arrested for soliciting sex. more important are the women at the center of this ring. >>> the funds protecting the 9/11 first responders are running out of money. liberty mutual accident forgiveness means they won't hike your rates over one mistake. see, liberty mutual doesn't hold grudges. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise their rates because of their first accident. switch and you could save $782 on home and auto insurance. call for a free quote today. liberty mutual insurance. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ >>> comedian jon stewart is known for his years of hosting his show, but he's up there to push a bill that has been introduced by kirsten gillibrand which will give more to the first responders fund. anyone with a new claim is facing a 70% reduction in payouts. this is money that goes to first responders, their family and survivors who got sick from all the toxins at ground zero. it is a fight that stewart has been backing for years, and he's joining us now along wit

the bombshell news that new england patriots owner robert kraft is facing solicitation charges related sting in jupiter, florida, has certainly gotten everyone's attention. as part of a months-long multiagency investigation into international human trafficking, officials say kraft along with over 100 men across florida engaged in sex acts with women who were brought to the united states under false pretenses and held as virtual prisoners. they have video of him being driven to the spa, as well as inside the room where he received, quote, paid acts. the investigation that targeted massage parlors extends as far as new york and china as swept up more than one billionaire. authorities plan to charge john childs for solicitation. childs has denied any wrongdoing. no surprise, both the new england patriots, who won their sixth super bowl this year, and the new england revolution, a major league soccer team that robert kraft also owns, they have separately issued the same statement on friday, which said, quote -- we categorically deny that mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity. because i

david, a court date has been set for late april, but robert kraft is not expected to appear. he could also face disciplinary action from the nfl. david? >> victor oquendo tonight. victor, thank you. >>> as i mentioned at the top tonight, president trump is in the air at this hour, on his way to hanoi, where he will meet for the second time with north korean dictator kim jong-un. the president predicting a, quote, very tremendous summit. after the first summit, you'll remember he declared there is no longer a nuclear threat from north korea. well, his secretary of state over the weekend now contradicting that. kim jong-un seen boarding his armored train in pyongyang, traveling through china, on his way to vietnam. but back in the u.s., much of this will be on a split screen of sorts, as the president's long-time fixer and personal attorney, michael cohen, answers questions in fronts of the american people, as the summit plays out, as well. abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl from hanoi tonight. >> reporter: president trump took off for hanoi today, eager to lea

robert kraft and jussie smollett.ts say is not the most well known person entangled. news reports have all the elements, sex, money, stakeout, allegedly even videotape. my take, legalize it. in a world where men and women swipe right for companionship and send nude selfies before showing off the real thing, surely an exchange for conternt senting adults is not a suggestion. pot should be

it's here, police say, patriots owner robert kraft and two dozen others were videotaped soliciting prostitution from women illegally trafficked in the sex trade, a charge kraft has denied. ed the question was does the video contain mr. kraft inside receiving the alleged acts? the answer to that is yes. >> reporter: authorities say it happened days before the 77-year-old won his sixth super bowl. an embarrassment for one of the most powerful men in sports, and it could result in disciplinary action from the n.f.l. if it finds he violated its code of conduct. when indianapolis colts owner srm isray pled guilty to driving under the influence in 2014, he ms suspended for six games and fined the maximum $500,000. that would be a drop in the bucket for kraft, reportedly worth more than 6 billion. so far, the league has said only it's monitoring the situation. the bust followed a sweeping investigation on human trafficking. the alleged prostitutes were recent chinese immigrants who imme to the u.s. with the promise of legitimate work but were forced to live in the spas and service an average of eight

again, robert kraft, in addition to being the owner of the new england patriots since 1984, he's the founder, chairman, and ceo of the kraft group, one of the most successful businessmen in this country, also of course the winner of six super bowls, the defending super bowl champions. in fact i just talked to robert kraft on the sidelines in atlanta just a few weeks ago. but robert kraft now being charged with two counts of solicitation of prostitution after a human trafficking investigation there in florida. andrea mitchell is standing by. "andrea mitchell reports" starts right now. >>> and good afternoon, i'm andrea mitchell in washington with this breaking news from jupiter, florida at this hour. new england patriots owner robert kraft has just been charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution at a massage parlor in florida. right now florida authorities are processing a warrant for mr. kraft, who is on the part of the a resident of the state. joining me now, nbc legal contributor danny cevallos from new york. danny, as you heard just now from kerry sanders, there have been m

. >>> patriots owner robert kraft accused of soliciting prostitution. >> he's proclaimed his innocence totally, but i'm very surprised to see it. >> the government is supposed to be for the people, by the people and all -- >> you know what's interesting about this group is i've been doing this for 30 years. i know what i'm doing. you come in here, and you say it has to be my way or the highway. i don't respond to that. >> it could be tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border trying to get this aid across. but concerns, obviously, aside, this could be yet a more volatile situation. >> announcer: this is "new day weekend" with victor blackwell and christi paul. >>> good to be with you this saturday morning. our top stories, we still don't know if paul manafort will spend the rest of his life in prison. the public is waiting to read special counsel robert mueller's report for the chairman. >>> and new england patriots owner robert kraft facing charges of soliciting prostitution. police say kraft was caught in part of a large-scale sex backdown, leading to hundreds of arrest

but certainly that robert kraft was caught in this police investigation, that has drawn attention to this. what sort of repercussions are there for mr. kraft and the other men the attorney's office was talking about today? >> as your prior guest mentioned, for each count i think it carries 60 days in prison and he'll have excellent lawyers presumably that could get some kind of deal where he'd have something short of a prison sentence. so the police officer's focus on the bigger issue here, which is the extent to which this is a sex trafficking scheme, that is people, girls brought from other countries, sort of conned into coming to the united states, losing their passports, living in inhumane conditions. that's extraordinarily disturbing. and if mr. kraft's arrest draws attention to that because of his fame and fortune, then i think the system of justice has done its job, at least for now. >> molly: one of the other fascinating things we have seen, just the amount of police work that goes into this. they ask if -- reporters on the scene asked if the women were cooperating, some of th

newsroom, good evening, mike's weeks after the patriots won six super bowl, 77-year-old robert kraft accused of paying for acts at baseball in jupiter, florida. this ball was part of month-long sex trafficking investigation but we should note robert kraft is not involved with sex trafficking. that the police say they do have him on video receiving acts. the patriots spokesperson denied the allegations and today president trump said this. >> it is very sad and i was surprised to see it. he has pleaded his innocence but i'm very surprised to see it. >> trace: kraft is facing misdemeanors with jail time but r&b singer r. kelly could be looking at 70 years in prison. kelly, his real name robert kelly charged today with ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, three of them between the ages of 13 and 17. attorney michael avenatti with star stormy daniels said he gave chicago prosecutors video evidence of kelly having sex with a girl who said several times on tape that she is 14. listen. >> today marks a watershed moment in the 25 years of abuse by this predator known

. >>> all that plus personal foul super bowl winning patriots owner robert kraft arrested for soliciting prostitution as florida thrts s authorities break up what they call a sex trafficking ring. will kraft be punished by the nfl. >>> and "empire" producers announce they are cutting jussie smollett from the season's final two episodes in the wake of his arrest for claiming eflgshe was the victim of a hate crime. >>> and meghan fresh off her baby shower, she arrives in africa with prince harry for a royal outing despite being weeks away from giving birth and we're traveling traveling with her today, saturday february 23 2019. >> from nbc news this is "today" with sheinelle jones, peter alexander and dillylan dreyer live from studio 1a. >> thank you for joining us on this saturday morning. she was celebrating her baby shower here innin now and now off to morocco. a stuff game. >> i think she enjoyed her time here in new york city. she certainly felt the love. >> the travel is incredible. i remember being exhausted when i was that pregnant. >> we'll have much more on meghan markle in a bit

cops say they caught robert kraft in a sting at a massage parlor.stitution more than once. cops say there's video. the story and the patriots response ahead. singer r. kelly indicted for aggravated sex abuse. the latest twist in a sickening history in an allegation involving underage girls, sex tapes and a sex cult. a news conference with prosecutors set to start any moment. and jussie smollett out for the season. the news decision from the "empire" producers after police accuse him of a hate crime hoax in chicago. breaking news.

it's a spa, police say, new england patriots owner robert kraft and dozens more men went to solicit sexspokesman for kraft denies he engaged in any illegal activity, and cnn has been unable to reach the owners for comment, but police say what really happened inside this massage parlor is deeply disturbing. the sheriff painted a sobering picture of women forced into sexual labor. >> it was clear that multiple women were working and living inside the spas. they were cooking on the back steps of the business. they were sleeping in the massage parlor on the massage tables. >> reporter: sheriff snyder's agency, one of the many involved. the investigation uncovered a multimillion dollar international scheme that went from china to new york and eventually florida's popular treasure coast. at least seven suspected parlor operators have been named along with about 200 accused johns, some more notable than others. >> i would contend today that the men in the shadows are the monsters in this equation. none of this would happen if those men were not availing themselves and participating in this hum

>> martha: what about this robert kraft story. the police say they have a video. >> he is also allowed due process. if you have a video pretty hard to disprove that one good thing about these cases we are seeing this week with r. kelly also with justin fairfax and that getting attention and robert kraft is the fact that law enforcement is involved in all three of these incidents. my understanding with the fairfax case vanessa tyson has gone to the suffolk county district attorney. good news is at least they are going to a place where law enforcement can get involved. >> martha: i totally agree. >> all be given due process as well. >> definitely surprising that news broke at outnumbered all sitting on the couch and everyone had a collective like huh? six time super bowl champion team. 30-year-old girlfriend, wife now. >> 39. >> due process, let's hear it out. >> this is potentially a human trafficking ring. >> they have been watching for months. >> martha: these young men have been sleeping and eating at this place orchid of oasis,

who is friends with robert kraft. coming up at eight.. violence on the campus of an east bay high school students were locked inside their classes for more than two- hours.. details on what happened.... after the break. plus... the first few weeks of the new year bringing an abnormally high spike in car burglaries in fremont ... what authorities have to say about the increase. and -- the latest on the state of the middle class ... a new study has the latest news on median household incomes and the other factors that affect middle class status .... and the details on the bay area may surprise i'm kron 4 meteorologist lawrence karnow coming up, i will take a day forecast. details are right after the break. even if no one in your home smokes, secondhand smoke can be closer than you think. secondhand smoke from a neighbor's apartment can enter your home through air vents, through light fixtures and even through cracks in the walls and the floors. secondhand smoke is toxic. especially to children. protect your family. visit tobaccofreeca.com.

super bowl winning patriots owner robert kraft aested for soliciting prosecutn, as florida authorities break up a sex trafficki ring. will kraft will punished by the nfl? >>> "empire" producers say they're kicking jussie smollett off the show. >>> meghan in morocco. fresh off her new york city baby ower, arriving ina afric with prince harry for a royal outing, despite being weeks away from givirth. we are traveling with her today, saturday, february 23rd, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with sheinelle jones, peter alexander, and dylan dreyer, livetu fromdio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >>> welcome toda "" thank you for joining us on this saturday morning. a few days ago, celebrating her baby shower in new york, and now meghan is off to morocco. tough gig. >> what i do know, but i think she enjoyed h time in new york city. she certainly felt the love. >> the travel is incredible though. iemember being exhausted going from home to 30 rock when i was that pregnant. >> she's royal. >> true. >> i am not. >> we'll hav more on meghan markle in a bit. >>> we want to get to the t

this was part of the month-long sex trafficking investigation, robert kraft is not involved with sex trafficking. police say they do have him on video receiving sexual acts. a spokesperson denies the allegations and donald trump said this. >> very sad. i was surprised to see it. he proclaimed his innocence totally but i'm very surprised to see it. >> craft is facing misdemeanors that regularly result in jail time but are kelly could be looking at 70 years in prison. kelly whose real name is robert kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggregated sexual abuse involving four victims, eight them between ages of 13, and 17. michael avenatti who represented stormy daniels says he gave chicago prosecutors video evidence of kelly having sex with a girl who said several times on tape that she is 14. >> today marks a watershed moment in 25 years of abuse by this predator known as are kelly. >> reporter: his attorney says the allegations are false. he was on child pornography charges and acquitted on 2008. alexander acosta is back in the hot seat for a plea deal he struck a decade ago with jeffr

robert kraft is one of the most famous owners in football.e super bowl just three weeks ago. now he's caught up in an undercover sex trafficking sting operation. what are you learning there tonight? >> reporter: it is certainly catching many people by surprise. and this is a massive sex and human trafficking crackdown. we're told 190 so-called johns being pursued by authorities. charges being filed against them. the most notable is robert kraft. the owner of the new england patriots. that seems to be the spotlight. the police are saying that at least on two occasions he dime this spa and came to get paid acts, which some of the women were allegedly forced to work. with investigators now waiting to see what their next step will be. what we are told is that he has been charged now with two charges of solicitation of prostitution. however, so far, we're told that he has not been arrested quite yet. he is speaking out through a spokesperson who writes, quote, we categorically again mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity because it is a judicia

here's how robert kraft's friend donald trump responded to the charges. >> what about the charges againsthe's a friend of yours. >> well, it's very sad. i was very surprised to see it. he's proclaimed his innocence totally, and -- but i'm very surprised to see it. >> and our third sex crime story of just this single 12-hour news cycle. today house democrats called on the president of the united states to demand the resignation of his labor secretary alexander acosta. the push comes after a federal judge ruled at acosta when he was the u.s. attorney in miami broke the law in cutting a deal for jeffrey epstein, an accused child sex abuser and billionaire friend of donald trump's. the letter from trump to house democrats stated despite abundant evidence and witnesses waiting to come forward, they failed to charge him under federal trafficking laws that could have put epstein away for life, we believe acosta was here is how president trump answered questioned about the handling of jeffrey epstein's case. >> do you have any concerns about the epstein case. >> i don't know too much about it, it

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i would be saying how did robert kraft get off so cheap?n saying we are going to pay off a human being who i had sex with to make sure she doesn't speak. so i can see where the president is coming from. he is saying i suspect i paid 1 130k. i don't want to be crew aboude this but he paid a human being for sex. the real question is human trafficking. the president in some ways is not defensible on this. he paid himself and we know it. >> paying to hush money to cover it up, $150,000. >> whatever you're arguing is your hush money. >> he didn't give me 130,000 bucks. i mean i think we know what happened here the serious point is human trafficking not whether a wealthy human being paid for sex. that happens every day in america. >>> the president seems to be obsessed with what the democratic presidential candidates are doing. >>. >> they have done great reporting for us. the point is that the president may not be so obsessed with governing. he has been watching democrats. i'm sure he'll watch your town hall. he will -- he is interested in democ

understand that robert kraft in no way is charged with the sex trade.t is the misdemeanor of soliciting prostitution but the authorities say that it takes the client to have the actual business there and in this case allegedly a sex slave operation where the people again unwittingly, kelly, found themselves trapped in florida, unable to speak english and didn't know who to reach out to for help. >> thank you. >>> here's some of the movers this hour. roku shares following an earnings beat and strong streaming growth that stock up 100% that's a doubling for roku this year in the past six weeks wayfair soaring today, reporting a smaller than expected loss revenue also beating estimates and the active customer count up 15% from a year earlier. dropbox is falling the shares are moving lower. now tobill griffeth. >> thank you iran is continuing to comply with the landmark 2015 deal. its aim to prevent teheran from building weapons the u.s. as you know has pulled out of that deal and is pressuring remaining countries to abandon it, as well. >>> opioid related

but if the nfl decides to take action against robert kraft, it's not the kind of thing robert kraft isntitled to due process the way he would be in the courts. everything is guided by the agreement between those parties. >> the league has come under some pretty intense criticism when it comes to how it's handled charges against players in the past. whether those charges are related to criminal or domestic violence, substance abuse. a lot of folks wanting to see if the league is going to treat robert kraft in the same way as the league has treated some of its players. >> the league has been under scrutiny, not just for how it disciplines its players, but sometimes coaches and even owners as it has in the past. increasingly, the league is taking the blame when its players and other people involved with the nfl appear to be running amuck. with that in mind, the nfl may take very harsh measures against robert kraft, even though in the grand pantheon of potential criminal charges, as it stands right now, these are just misdemeanor charges and he's not likely to do any jail time. >> thanks f

patriots owner robert kraft is facing charges of solicitation of prostitution in florida as part of a widespread sex trafficking investigation. a statement from a spokesperson on behalf of kraft denies any wrongdoing. >>> about last night, warriors had to sweat out this last second shot by buddy heald to hang on to beat the sacramento kings 125-123. the doves swept the season series but won by a combined total of 12 points. the kings have earned the warriors' respect as the level of play certainly has closed the gap according to draymond green. >> it's coming sooner and as far as a rivalry, man, they're talented. so no disrespect to them, but the other team got to win some games before it can really be a rivalry, but very no doubt in my mind that that team is going to win a lot of games coming up here soon. >>> it's been 12 years since the warriors, an eighth seed, knocked out top seed dallas in the first round of the nba playoffs. that team became forever known as the we believe team, 2007. last night of sorts a reunion, although a few things have changed. >> can each of you talk bri

the warrant has been issued for robert kraft . he is one of two dozen people charged in a police sting. >> the video that we obtained shows the act that took place on every gentleman we have. the act took place as recorded on that video. >> reporter: legal analyst say those charge for the first time for solicitation can enter a diversion program with community service and pay for a class with human trafficking. joining us is nathan. i guess what is most shocking, a guy who is worth $4 billion, going to a strip mall and ate sarge parlor. they have solid evidence here. >> yes. that is what they claim. they say they were going back and forth into this place. this was such an intent sting. this is a task force sort of deal. this is not just differing counties and relative police organizations. security was involved as well. this was a major human trafficking bust. that is definitely going on for some time. they were in depth way they gathered information where they have people inside of these establishments on different surveillance t

florida authories say robert kraft, the billionaire owner of the super bowl champion new england patriots, has been charged with misdemeanor counts of soliciting sex. the alleged acts took place at a jupiter, florida, day spa. one of nearly a dozen spas where investigators think young female workers were actually human trafficking victims. erth details we start with sanders. >> reporter: today police in florida identified 77-year-old robert kraft as one of more than two dozen men who allegedly frequented this massage parlor,y a front,nvestigators, for prostitution. >> we're as equally stunned as everybody else. notoriety that would be arsted. >> reporter: this was one of ten spas closed after a six-month investigation of massage parlors across the state. several alleged conspirators were taken into custody. the coordinated takedowns were a result of round the clock surveillance with cameras outsidand hidden cameras inside. >> the video that we obtained, it shows the acts that took place.an on every gentlhat you have a list of, the acts that took place is recorded on that video. >> reporte

robert kraft denies doing anything wrong. police say there's video. >> the next court filing from robert mueller expected tonight. why the special counsel's investigation may not be done as soon as we think. >> announcer: news4 at 6:00 begins with breaking news. >>> the investigation spurred by a shocking tv documentary series has singer r. kelly facing charges of sexual assault. >> the allegations span decades, some of the accusers were young teenagers at the time. >> erika gonzalez is following the story for us, she has new details on the possible evidence against kelly. >> attorney michaeli avena says he has video evidence r. kelly engaged in a sexual act with a minor. >> repeatedly on the video both theictim and mr. kelly referred to the victim's age as being 14. that occurs in excess of 10 separate times ono.he vi >> in a press conference about an hour ago, avenue nagnat tee called the video superior to the evidence used in r. kelly's 2008 criminal case in which he was acquitted. avenatti says he knows of at least two mor

turns out there's another kind of ring he may have been involved. >> in new england patriots owner robert kraftged with first degree solicitation of a prostitute in flav. >> the charges come as part of a much larger crackdown on illegal sex trafficking. >> on two occasions kraft slits add prostitute at this shopping center massage parlor 20 miles from his west palm beach home. >> trevor: i'm sorry. this story is so insane whamplet you doing paying for sex in a strip mall in florida? you own the patriots! you could walk into my strip mall in boston and get a hand job for free! you wouldn't even have to ask. they would be, like, oh, my god robert, kraft, what an honor! hey, sally, get over here and help with the balls! ( laughter ) seriously, you're a billionaire and you might go to jail for a which by the way, i've never understood the term happy ending. all massages have a happy ending because i leave relaxed and spelling of lavender. did you get a happy ending? it's always a happy ending. is the alterch alternative a sa? the massage is over, and your dog is dead. oh, no! i should have gotten t

robert kraft has an estimated net worth of more than $6 billion.if convicted, punishment by the nfl for violating its code of conduct policy. authorities called kraft a regular customer and say he was brought here by his driver. he does own a home in south florida, about 20 miles away. the patriots' owner is perhaps the best county nfl team owner. the super bowl win earlier this month was his sixth. the league has said little else other than it continues to monitor developments. michelle? >> janet, thank you. >>> r. kelly will have a bond hearing later this morning after spending last night in jail. the grammy-winning r&b star is facing ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving at least four victims. kelly turned himself in to police -- chicago police, last night hours after the charges were announced. prosecutors say the alleged abuse dates back as far as 1998, and that some of the alleged victims were under age. kelly is denying those charges. >> mr. kelly is strong. he's got a lot of support. and he's going to be vindicated on all these ch

loser, patriots owner robert kraft. i have to say anything more. >> bret: methods. that is all you have to say. we should point out, next week, we will be in vietnam. we'll bring you "special report" from hanoi for the summit. chris wallace will be here on monday and he will have democratic presidential candidate kirsten gillibrand on the show. we'll continue to bring democratic candidates as they become available to the show. we ask all the time. when we come back, notable quotables. ♪ as someone in witness protection, i can't tell you anything about myself. but believe me... i'm not your average consumer. that's why i switched to liberty mutual. . ... or a woman... with very specific needs that i can't tell you about- say cheese. mr. landry? oh no. hi mr. landry! liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ you won't find relief here. congestion and pressure? go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritin-d. while the leading allergy spray on