(Photo from RawPixel.com)
ORLANDO | Richard Kowalczyk, the previous owner of Southern Nights Orlando and Tampa, entered a plea of guilty March 27 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, court records show.
The records weren’t filed until April 6, and Kowalczyk entered the plea of Count Two of the Superseding Indictment. The count is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years up to life imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years up to life and a special assessment of $100 per felony count.
In January, Eric Patrick, a former Orange County Public School teacher and husband to Kowalczyk, pleaded guilty to attempting to lure a 15-year-old for sex, court records show.
The couple was indicted on multiple counts involving child pornography last year. Patrick’s move came weeks before they were set to go to trial in federal court.
Kowalczyk signed off on the latest document, which acknowledges understanding the nature and elements of the offense(s) that have been charged. The elements of Count Two are:
First: The defendant knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced an individual under the age of eighteen (18), to engage in sexual activity, as charged;
Second: The Defendant used a cell phone, via the Internet, to do so;
Third: Had the proposed sexual activity occurred with a minor, one or more of the individuals engaging in the sexual activity could have been charged with a criminal offense under the laws of the state of Florida or federal law; and
Fourth: the Defendant took a substantial step towards committing the offense.
As charged, the sexual activity for which the individual could have been charged includes attempted lewd or lascivious battery, in violation of Florida Statutes 800.04(4)(a)(2).
The elements of Florida Statute 800.04(4)(a)(2) are as follows:
First: Defendant encouraged, forced, or enticed victim to engage in any act involving sexual activity; and
Second: At the time, victim was less than 16 years of age.
At the time of the sentencing, the remaining counts against the defendant, Counts One, Four, Five, and Six, will be dismissed. If the court accepts this plea agreement, there will be no further charges known to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Patrick pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a teenager, whom the prosecution said he and Kowalczyk met on Grindr, according to the plea agreement. The couple was engaging in graphic exchanges on the messenger platform Telegram.
If a federal judge approves the agreement, two of the charges against Patrick would be dropped: conspiracy to entice a minor and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The agreement doesn’t mention an agreed-to sentence but says Patrick would have to register as a sex offender and agree to cooperate with prosecutors against his husband.
The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury Dec. 18, 2024, and filed Jan. 2, 2025, charged Kowalczyk with conspiracy to entice a minor, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, two counts of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
In conversations occurring between April 16, 2022, and Aug. 15, 2022, Kowalczyk and the individual discussed past sexual encounters involving minors and exchanged images and videos featuring minors suspected to be as young as 7 years old.
The investigation led law enforcement to seize Kowalczyk’s iPhone on Feb. 8, 2023. The same day, a search warrant was executed at Kowalczyk’s Orlando residence where he resides with Patrick.
According to the indictment, investigators found 83 images and two videos saved on Kowalczyk’s iPhone of child exploitation. Some of the images are of minors under 12 years of age.
A further search of Kowalczyk’s electronic devices revealed messages sent from November 2019 to March 2021 between Kowalczyk and Patrick which included images and discussions of child exploitation.
Kowalczyk’s pre-trial is expected to begin April 16 at 9: 30 a.m., and the jury trial is set for May 4. He is no longer affiliated with Southern Nights Orlando or Tampa, which closed and rebranded last year.
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