Pearl Jam’s Former Accountant Charged With Stealing Nearly $400,000 From The Band

Pearl Jam are an American rock institution, with the successes of their long career winding behind them, but it seems Pearl Jam’s former chief financial officer took advantage of that success, charged with allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the rock group over the course of three years.

The Seattle Times  reports that Rickey Goodrich has been accused of embezzling at least $US 380,000 between October 2007 and June 2010, spending the money on lavish family vacations, spa treatments, life insurance and pricey California wines, according to US attorneys and prosecutors.

Charged with 33 counts of theft last Thursday, on the day of his 54th birthday, a summons was sent to Godrich’s home in Novato, California ordering him to appear in court at the end of the month. ”The alleged thefts date back a number of years, and there were a lot of bank records and financial documents that needed to be reviewed,” says a spokesperson for the band’s prosecutor.

The investigation into Goodrich’s embezzlement, who is to face 25 counts of first-degree theft and eight counts of second-degree theft, is expected to take some time.

Godrich’s allegedly shifty dealings were first discovered after a  May 2010 tour by another of Pearl Jam’s accountants. When confronted over discrepancies in ‘road cash’, the former money man repaid the band $US 45,000 for so-called loans he allegedly paid to himself by forging the signature of Pearl Jam’s manager, Kelly Curtis. He was later fired in early September 2010 from Pearl Jam’s management over the disputes.

If convicted, Goodrich who has no criminal record, could face three to five years imprisonment.