Pearl Jam's former manager sentenced to prison for theft
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Pearl Jam's former financial manager, who used his position with the rock band to steal $380,000 (226,879.22 pounds), was sentenced on Friday to 14 months in prison at a court hearing in Washington state, an official said.
Rickey Charles Goodrich, 55, had initially faced 33 theft charges but in December he pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree theft, King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesman Dan Donohoe said.
"(Goodrich) will remain out of custody for the next two weeks to get his business affairs in order so he can continue to pay restitution," Donohoe said. "He begins serving the sentence on March 14."
The quintet rose to prominence in the early 1990s grunge-rock movement and has sold millions of records worldwide.
Goodrich was chief financial officer at its Seattle-based management company, Curtis Management, before he was fired in September 2010.
Goodrich, who had oversight over finances related to Pearl Jam's tours, was found to have made wire transfers from the firm to pay his personal debts and used the company credit card for unwarranted expenses.
He was caught after the band's manager reviewed suspicious transactions from 2009 at the band's touring company and their fan group Ten Club.
Goodrich was sentenced on Friday by King County Superior Court Judge Roger Rogoff. William Morris Endeavor, which represents the band, and Curtis Management did not immediately return emails.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, Jonathan Kaminsky in Olympia, Washington, and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
