The victims were forced to live in the spas for days, and sometimes months, "for the purpose of sexual servitude," according to the charges. Many of them came from China on temporary work visas, believing they'd get legitimate jobs in the United States, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said in a press conference .
"These girls are there all day long, into the evening. They can't leave and they're performing sex acts," he said . "Some of them may tell us they're OK, but they're not."
Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution. In a statement, he denied that he broke the law.
"We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity," his spokesperson said. "Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further."
The Jupiter Police Department received a warrant to install surveillance video in a massage parlor in January. In the videos, police officers said, they witnessed men groping and performing oral sex with women, without condoms, and paying them afterwards in cash.
Police found evidence that the victims lived in the spas and parlors. In one routine health inspection, the inspector found bedsheets, suitcases, and other signs that people lived inside.
"These women were sleeping in massage parlors, on the massage tables and had no access to transportation," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said in a press conference Tuesday. "If you do the math, that is about 1,500 men a year, with no days off."
