Ex-KC and the Sunshine Band Bassist Gets 7 Years in Prison for Teen Sex Charges

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Dec 7th 2010 11:56AM

Telling a judge he was embarrassed, disgusted and ashamed, a former member of KC and the Sunshine Band has been sentenced in Ohio to seven years in prison for sex charges involving teen boys.

Bassist and music producer Richard Finch entered pleas of no contest in Licking County Common Pleas Court on Monday to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and several other charges.

His voice breaking, the 56-year-old Finch apologized to a judge and the teens, saying he had little memory of the activities because he was impaired by alcohol.

The multiple Grammy Award winner was arrested in March after police said a boy reported that he'd had sexual contact with Finch at the man's home in Newark in central Ohio. They said Finch later admitted he'd had sexual contact with boys ranging in age from 13 to 17.

Finch told the judge he takes "responsibility 100 percent" for his conduct and that it was less than his character.

"I am very proud of the legacy in the music business that I have created, but sadly because of my stupidity while under the influence of alcohol, I will not be remembered for that contribution and, rather, I will be remembered for this unfortunate moment in time," Finch said. "It is my own fault and I will work hard to regain trust and respect from those I let down, including myself."

He removed his glasses and wiped away tears just before the judge handed down the sentence.

The Newark Advocate reports court records say Finch paid a 15-year-old boy $100 for sexual acts in a closet of his home where guitars are stored.

The records say that Finch had told teens, "The music industry is all about sex and drugs" and "If you tell your parents, they're going to ... freak out, they are older and they are not in the business."

In March, KC and the Sunshine Band founder Harry Wayne Casey told PopEater he hoped to cease Finch's affiliation with the band's name. "I created KC & The Sunshine Band in 1973. Mr. Finch subsequently joined the band a year later. While his talent contributed to the early success of the KCSB sound, his involvement ended in 1980."

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Tags: KC and the Sunshine Band, Richard Finch

Comments

(29)

Tuesday 07 December

By tony

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puts new meaning to thats the way uh huh uh huh i like it.

By MrMcGriddlecakes

HA or 'get down tonight'

By YellowRose3218

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Anyone whos had to deal with these kinds of men, know that they always say,, I cant remember most of it,, I was impaired by the alchohol.
As if that makes it all alright,, cause it was just a simple mistake..
Now he can sleep with his back to the wall for a few years.

tony,,,,shame on you,,,,that was funny though.

By Nikki

Tony--You gave me the first lol of the day!

By John

Did anyone else spot: "Richard Finch entered pleas of no contest in LICKING County..."

By speweth

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i would think that if you live in that county, that it would be just natural to want to, well,uh, Lick.

By Army

Yup,,, and the banjo playin in the background!!

By Richard

Once again the old alcohol made me do it excuse.

By Mickey

Puberty and Coke....no ice

By Wolfie

What is just sad is that his ONLY spoken regret is that his sexual charge is what will be remembered with his name and not his contributions to the music industry.

What an arrogant, self serving, narcissist!
This quote just PISSES ME OFF (enough that I even bothered to post my feelings at all) ..

"I am very proud of the legacy in the music business that I have created, but sadly because of my stupidity while under the influence of alcohol, I will not be remembered for that contribution and, rather, I will be remembered for this unfortunate moment in time," Finch said. "It is my own fault and I will work hard to regain trust and respect from those I let down, including myself."

All he is saying there is poor me, me, me, me.

WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS YOU IRREVOCABLY DAMAGED WHEN YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THEM SEXUALLY???

Huh? What about THEM you freaking pedophiliac loser?

What about apologizing them for scarring them for life and damaging their developing psyches and sexuality?

Screw working hard to regain trust of those you let, the people you let down you pig are the people who you took advantage of, and you CAN'T UN-RING THAT BELL.

Sexual predation is NOT something you can fix or repair, once YOU broke it, it is BROKEN. The only people that have any hope of gluing that back together into something healthy are the victims themselves NOT the d*cks that damaged them in the first place.

Doesn't sound at all regretful to me - sounds like the ONLY thing he regrets is that his name will now forever be linked to molesting underage children, which is as it SHOULD be.

I don;t buy into the whole "I'm too drunk to know what I did" bs, people use that as an excuse so that they can do the things that they really WANT to do deep inside, that they don't really want to admit to others, or even themselves. It's their handy dandy "reason" why they did something bad or out of character or made a choice that they regret later.

I've never had a problem with saying the word "No". It's REAL easy, just two letters. All the stupid stuff people do when they are drunk? Well that takes a LOT more effort than saying "no" would. people just want a window to behave inappropriately and without conscience, and will use it to suit their own agendas and then rationalize and justify it to the world and even to their core selves, by lamenting that they cannot be held accountable for this or that because they were "under the influence".

Pffft I say! Be an adult and own up to the cr*p you decide to do already and stop making excuses for yourself, because NO ONE is buying what you are selling!

By Praise the Lord

Very well put Wolfie! Spot on! He only cared about himself and still cares only about himself!

By ALLEN

i concurr i don't like homo's and i HATE pedophiles

By Sketch

Amen Wolfie! Everything you said is spot-on.
And every year, the group I belong to, (Bikers Against Child Abuse) goes to court with countless young ones to make sure they feel secure enough to testify, and sicko creeps like this guy are put away for as long as the law says they need to be.
I wish the laws were even stricter for sick jerks like this, but I heard they get lots of reminders to think about it in prison.
I am not worried at all what Mr. Finch is thinking or about his contributions to whatever. My concern lies with the young ones he messed with. I hope they have good counselors and therapy and that Mr. Finch has to pay for it.
I am glad I am part of a group that supports our wounded young ones and gets the perps put away where they belong.
LOL Also, ain't it funny that about a year ago, KC came to our town and did a concert, and after the show I gave him one of our BACA brochures! Hahahaaa guess he didn't show it to Mr. Finch!!

By Flagrante Delicto

"I am very proud of the legacy in the music business..."

What legacy? I never heard of him!

"The music industry is all about sex and drugs"

So, the music industry make this homosexual take advantage of this young boys?

Yeah, they wlll give this homosexual a "standing ovation" in prison.

By JumboTweep

Oh, yeah, we know: "the alcohol made me do it." Just admit you're a PEDOPHILE. The HOMO part is your own business, just find yourself a consenting male; problem solved. Stop denying you're a pedophile; we don't care if you're gay, as long as you choose an appropriate partner. PS it ain't kids.

By Ann

Wow, thanks Ohio that his music background did not send him to rehab like ca. do their celebrities.Seven years is really a deal because ,we don't know how many he pretended that he was teaching guitar lessons and trowing 100 dollar bills to little boys.Well,Bubba and Alfredo is waiting to teach you whats it like to be locked up without a woman,so take it like a wimp and shed a few tears.

alcohol is no excuse put tha pediphile bastard in jail for life. you should be ashamed of yourself molesting little boys. i'm nausious just thinkng about it.

By cowboy

Sounds like you might have something in the closet, HOMO, sound like a haiter to me.. And no im str8. But my brother was gay.

sounds like you may have helped make him that way, did he molest children as well.

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