Kraft family: Trump access, dropped charges, board power and corporate sanctions
- Actions
- reportedAxios, summarizing New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporting, said Robert Kraft contacted Trump on behalf of Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp and helped broker a meeting. Trump rescinded his executive order targeting the firm after Paul Weiss agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work aligned with administration-supported causes. The reporting documents Kraft's access and intermediary role; it does not identify a personal financial benefit to Kraft.Associated PressAxiosRead record · 2 sourcesdocumentedTrump appointed Dana Blumberg Kraft to the Kennedy Center board on February 12, 2025. She served as a trustee while the reconstituted board elected Trump chair, removed President Deborah Rutter, declared a renaming unanimous after Representative Joyce Beatty was muted, approved a March 2026 closure plan after a 34-minute meeting, and voted again in September 2026 to close most of the building. A federal court held that the board lacked authority to rename the congressionally designated memorial, restored ex officio trustees' voting rights and found the first closure decision likely an abuse of discretion. The records establish Blumberg Kraft's appointment and service during these board actions; they do not identify an individual roll-call vote for her.Reuters via Investing.comU.S. District Court for the District of ColumbiaCompilation of Presidential DocumentsAssociated PressRead record · 4 sources
- Outcomes
- documentedAfter issuing a Clean Air Act emergency order over hydrogen sulfide levels that it said could present an imminent and substantial endangerment, EPA reached a consent decree with New-Indy Catawba requiring a $1.1 million civil penalty, monitoring, wastewater controls, carbon filtration and continuing compliance conditions. The Kraft Group identifies New-Indy as its joint venture with Schwarz Partners; the decree did not impose personal liability on Robert Kraft.U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyThe Kraft GroupRead record · 3 sourcesreportedA federal judge approved a $103 million settlement of residents' odor and emissions claims against New-Indy Containerboard: an $18 million class fund and $85 million in agreed remedial work. The settlement resolved allegations without a liability judgment and did not impose personal liability on Robert Kraft.The HeraldThe Kraft GroupRead record · 2 sourcesdocumentedEPA's permit record describes a Connecticut consent order addressing Rand-Whitney Containerboard treatment-performance problems, reporting failures, effluent violations, spills, operation and maintenance failures, unapproved modifications and monitoring failures. Rand-Whitney identifies itself as part of the Kraft Group; the order concerned the company and facility, not a personal finding against Robert Kraft.U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRand-WhitneyRead record · 2 sourcesdocumentedOSHA records for Rand-Whitney Container LLC show initial penalties of $139,424; after a formal settlement, one serious citation remained with a current penalty of $12,675 and another citation was deleted. The citation applied to the employer, not Robert Kraft personally.Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationRand-WhitneyRead record · 2 sourcesdocumentedNew England Patriots LLC agreed to a $2.16 million settlement fund and restrictions on transmitting precise geolocation linked to prerecorded-video viewing in its mobile app. The agreement settled Video Privacy Protection Act claims; the Patriots denied violating the law and the court did not adjudicate liability.U.S. District Court settlement administratorRead record · 1 source
People and impacts
- Who paid or was affected
- Legal status
- documentedThe NFL fined the New England Patriots $250,000, fined coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and removed the team's 2008 first-round draft pick after prohibited filming of New York Jets defensive signals. Robert Kraft was the franchise owner; the NFL record did not find that he ordered or knew of the filming.NFLNew England PatriotsRead record · 2 sourcesdocumentedThe NFL fined the Patriots $1 million and removed a 2016 first-round pick and a 2017 fourth-round pick for an integrity-of-the-game violation involving under-inflated footballs and the club's failure to cooperate. The NFL expressly said Patriots ownership and executives did not participate in or know of the misconduct.NFLRead record · 1 sourcedocumentedThe NFL fined the Patriots $1.1 million, removed a 2021 third-round draft pick and barred its television production crew from filming games during the 2020 season after the crew recorded the Cincinnati Bengals sideline. The team said the crew was independent of football operations; the discipline was imposed on the franchise, not Robert Kraft personally.NFLRead record · 1 sourcereportedThe NFL fined the Patriots $350,000 for COVID-19 protocol violations after October 2020 cases disrupted practices and games. The reported sanction applied to the team; the source did not attribute an individual violation to Robert or Jonathan Kraft.NFLRead record · 1 sourcereportedPalm Beach charging documents said hidden video showed Robert Kraft receiving oral and manual sex during his second visit to Orchids of Asia in less than 24 hours, then giving the worker a $100 bill and another bill. Prosecutors charged Kraft with two misdemeanor solicitation counts. Courts suppressed the video because the surveillance violated the Fourth Amendment, and prosecutors dropped his charges. The Washington Post reported that four spa workers entered prostitution-related guilty pleas; two were women Kraft was accused of patronizing. Lei Chen spent 60 days in jail awaiting disposition and was sentenced to time served. Other workers received fines, probation, community service or forfeiture obligations. Kraft was not convicted.ESPNFlorida Fourth District Court of AppealThe Washington PostRead record · 3 sources
Amounts and affected parties
penaltyPatriots COVID-19 protocol fine$350,000 - Reported source
- New England Patriots
- Reported recipient
- National Football League
penaltyPatriots Deflategate fine$1 million - Ordered from
- New England Patriots
- Ordered to
- National Football League
paymentNew-Indy settlement class fund$18 million - Committed by / source
- New-Indy Containerboard
- Committed to
- Resident settlement class fund
penaltyNew-Indy Clean Air Act civil penalty$1.1 million - Ordered from
- New-Indy Catawba LLC
- Ordered to
- U.S. Treasury
commitmentNew-Indy agreed remedial work$85 million - Committed by / source
- New-Indy Containerboard
- Committed toward / intended recipient
- Court-approved pollution-remediation work
- Financially affected
- Agreed pollution-remediation work
otherNew-Indy pollution settlement total$103 million - Committed source
- New-Indy Containerboard
- Measured subject
- Residents covered by the pollution settlement and agreed remedial work
paymentPatriots app privacy settlement fund$2.16 million - Committed by / source
- New England Patriots LLC
- Committed to
- Serra v. New England Patriots settlement fund
commitmentPaul Weiss pro bono commitment$40 million - Committed by / source
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Committed toward / intended recipient
- Administration-supported pro bono causes
penaltyRand-Whitney current OSHA penalty$12,675 - Ordered from
- Rand-Whitney Container LLC
- Ordered to
- U.S. Department of Labor
penaltyRand-Whitney initial OSHA penalties$139,424 - Reported source
- Rand-Whitney Container LLC
- Reported recipient
- U.S. Department of Labor
penaltyPatriots sideline-filming fine$1.1 million - Ordered from
- New England Patriots
- Ordered to
- National Football League
penaltyBill Belichick Spygate fine$500,000 - Ordered from
- Bill Belichick
- Ordered to
- National Football League
penaltyPatriots Spygate fine$250,000 - Ordered from
- New England Patriots
- Ordered to
- National Football League
Promise and assessment
- The promise
- reportedTrump announced that he would remove multiple Kennedy Center trustees, including chair David Rubenstein, install a new board, become chair and direct programming. The Center said the mass removal was unprecedented in its governance history.Associated PressCompilation of Presidential DocumentsRead record · 2 sources
Promise unresolved
The Kraft record joins documented Trump access to separate legal and institutional outcomes. Kraft Group gave $1 million to Trump's 2017 inaugural committee; reporting later described Robert Kraft brokering direct access for Paul Weiss, and Trump appointed Kraft's wife Dana to the Kennedy Center board. Robert Kraft was charged with two misdemeanor solicitation counts; courts suppressed the surveillance and prosecutors dropped the charges, while four spa workers entered guilty pleas and one spent 60 days in custody. Kraft-controlled institutions separately accumulated NFL sanctions, environmental enforcement, a pollution class settlement and an app-privacy settlement. The record distinguishes personal charges, board service, entity sanctions, settlements and denied allegations; it does not convert company liability into a personal conviction or establish that Kraft's donation purchased Dana's appointment.