Summary: A Florida man sent a $25,000 email order for equipment to an Austrian firm, posing as the Nickelback drummer.
A Florida man thought he could get away with posing as the drummer for Nickelback without getting caught. Lee Koenig, 45, attempted to order $25,000 worth of high-end microphones by posing as drummer Daniel Adair.
Investigators claim that Koenig placed an email order with Lewitt Audio, a company based in Vienna, Austria. A Nickelback business representative flagged the order as “out of the ordinary.” The rep contacted Adair to confirm the order but he “stated that he did not make the order and began to look into who had.”
Adair started looking into who may be posing as him. His research led him to Facebook pages and a website of Koenig’s. The poser had drummed in a number of bands, including tribute bands for Billy Idol and Aerosmith. A Facebook page belonging to Koenig describes him as a “Hall of fame drummer” and “Sony Multi platinum session touring drummer.”
Through online photos, Adair noticed that the “suspect’s drum set was the same configuration as his.” Upon further snooping, Adair found that the alleged Nickelback publicist noted in the email order was actually Koenig’s girlfriend.
A search warrant was executed on Koenig’s Port St. Lucie home. He admitted to writing the email to the Austrian firm. Other statements that he made were redacted from the police report. Koenig, also known as “Wooky,” invoked his “rights to have a lawyer present” when asked by an officer if he had defrauded any other groups.
Police arrested Koenig on two felony fraud counts. He was booked into the county jail and later released after posting $18,750 bond. His last performance was February 18th at the Manatee Island Bar and Grill in Port Salemo.
He has a criminal history, with felony convictions where he served over two years in state prison for fraud in 2009. He was arrested and convicted for stealing roughly $100,000 raised during charity concert schemes.
Adair and his fellow Nickelback bandmates start their 44-date North American tour in June. They are promoting their ninth studio production, “Feed The Machine.” They promise the album to be “a defiant rock anthem featuring blistering guitar riffs and face-melting rhythm tracks.”
Are you a fan of Nickelback? If so, what is your favorite song? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn about other celebrity drummers, read these articles:
- Richard Carpenter Sues Music Companies for Unpaid Royalties
- OneRepublic Drummer Eddie Fisher Arrested
- Journey Drummer Arrested in Salem, Oregon
Photo: wikipedia.org