Guitarist For Crap Band Impersonated, People With Bad Taste Victimized.



from the Miami Herald :

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A man who impersonated rock band Creed's lead guitarist and scammed fans out of more than $1,000 and free drinks has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

Kevin Eckenrod, 40, pleaded no contest Friday to fraudulent use of a credit card and scheming to defraud. He will have eight months reduced from his sentence for time served.

Eckenrod claimed to be Mark Tremonti, the lead guitarist for Creed. He handed out and autographed copies of publicity photos and attracted crowds of fans at Clearwater Beach bars.

A woman who invited him to her home told police Eckenrod took her credit card from her back pocket while he was kissing her. He charged more than $1,000 on the card, police said.

Police arrested Eckenrod, who has more than 30 aliases, as he stood in the middle of a crowd signing autographs in April. Eckenrod does have a slight resemblance to Tremonti, though he is 11 years older than the guitarist.

Prosecutors said they would recommend that the state appeal Eckenrod's sentence, which is about three months less than the minimum. Prosecutors had erred when calculating the sentence before the judge offered the plea deal, and the judge later refused to change the offer.

I know it is very easy to laugh at fans of Creed --- trust me, I'm doing it right now. But I think this newspaper report is a little unfair when they claim that Eckenrod bears a "slight resemblance" to Mark Tremonti.



(Eckenrod)


(Tremonti)

They look pretty close to me, so much so that if I saw either of these guys crossing the street, I'd floor it.

Posted: Wed - December 24, 2003 at 03:14 PM      

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