Musician Steve Klein, a former member of the pop-punk act New Found Glory, has been convicted of indecent exposure in a California child porn case. The final plea stemmed from seven charges of sex crimes against minors in which Klein found himself embroiled in 2014.
The guitarist and songwriter parted ways with the band back then, but the case itself had stalled for over six years. Last month, however, Klein reached an agreement in San Luis Obispo Superior Court to plead guilty to felony indecent exposure with the remaining charges dismissed, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported. He’ll have to register as a sex offender for at least 10 years.
In the plea deal, the charges dropped against the 41-year-old Klein included five felony counts of lewd acts on a child, one count of contact with intent to commit a sex offense and another of child pornography possession. The original allegations against Klein arose from sexual video chat room recordings involving underage girls found on a hard drive at the musician’s home.
Those screenshot recordings were of two-way video calls. Explicit footage of Klein allegedly exposing himself on the video chat website Omegle was played at a hearing in 2014. At that time, an expert witness for the prosecution, Dr. Nisha Abdul Cader, testified that the two females on the other end of the call were likely between 9 and 16 years old based on their physical traits.
That same year, New Found Glory released a statement explaining their reaction to Klein’s legal battles. “Steve made us aware of possible allegations that might be made against him,” they said. “Not knowing all the details, we made the decision to part ways in order for him to deal with these personal issues.” The band initially announced its split with Klein in December 2013.
Also in 2014, a legal representative for Klein, Debra White, remarked that “people are quick to assume that if a person is charged with a crime, they are also guilty as charged. … ALL charges against Steve are derived solely from online consensual video chats between Steve and some female strangers he met on an adult website. Steve believed the females were over the age of 18.”
Klein won’t any serve jail time as part of the plea, but he’s been committed to two years of probation. If the musician completes probation for one year, however, the felony conviction will drop to a misdemeanor and the probationary period will end, Klein’s attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, explained.
The guitarist lived in Atascadero, Calif., at the time the charges were brought against him. No physical contact occurred with the victims, prosecutors alleged, and they were never identified by investigators.
The ex-New Found Glory member played a large part in forming the Florida-based outfit’s early sound. Along with singer Jordan Pundik, Klein wrote the bulk of the band’s 1999 debut Nothing Gold Can Stay. Klein later produced other punk-minded acts such as Man Overboard.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, resources are available for help. Visit the RAINN website (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) or dial 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673).
