Will Greenlee

will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE — A Port St. Lucie man accused of using the identity of the drummer from the band Nickelback to try to purchase about $25,000 in music-related equipment may be singing an Elvis tune.

"Jailhouse Rock."

That’s because the man, 45-year-old Lee Howard Koenig, was arrested Tuesday on two felony fraud-related charges by Port St. Lucie police.

The case began Jan. 19 when police learned from a band security specialist that Daniel Adair “had his identity used to fraudulently order drum parts from a company in Vienna, Austria,” an affidavit said. The equipment included several microphones.

Adair is the drummer for Nickelback, which has a single Florida concert date Aug. 1 in Tampa, according to police Detective Paul Griffith and the band’s website. Nickelback formed in the mid-1990s in Canada. Adair left the band 3 Doors Down to join Nickelback in 2005, according to Allmusic.com.

The band's security specialist told police the attempted purchase using Adair’s name totaled about $25,000.

“Essentially, when he placed the order in Austria, I guess at this level of band … you have a lot of people that work for you," Griffith said Wednesday. "One of the people in his group thought it was out of the ordinary when they were getting contacted as to confirming the order.”

A band business representative also contacted Adair to verify the purchase, and Adair said he didn’t make the order, an affidavit said.

“Daniel Adair actually looked into it, as well as his security person,” Griffith said.

Investigators determined the email address used to place the order was not Adair’s.

“It was also noted that Daniel Adair does not live in Florida at (an address in the 2500 block of Southeast Lakewood Street), Port St. Lucie,” an affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Adair conducted some internet research and found a drummer in Florida with three websites, one of which is www.facebook.com/OFFICIALWOOKYPAGE.

Adair determined “that the suspect’s drum set was the same configuration as his.”

Police determined Koenig is the drummer in the bands from the websites Adair provided. They also researched the IP address used for the order, tracking it to Koenig’s listed address in the 2500 block of Southeast Lakewood Street in Port St. Lucie.

“He identified himself as Daniel Adair with Nickelback and said that he was looking for some microphones and tried to place an order via an email," Griffith said. "He says he’s Daniel Adair from Nickelback.”

Police on Tuesday executed a search warrant at Koenig's home. He asked for a lawyer.

Griffith said Koenig did say he wanted to send Adair an apology letter.

It’s not the first time Koenig stands accused of playing fast and loose with other people’s money.

In 2009, he was ordered to spend three years in prison and repay $78,000 he fraudulently collected in 2007.

Law enforcement officials investigated Koenig after a woman learned the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast never received money she gave Koenig for a benefit concert he said he was putting together on behalf of the organization.

Court papers showed Koenig also pretended to act on behalf of the Indian Riverkeeper advocacy group, and sold space for advertisements in concert programs, but never did the work.

Koenig was released from the St. Lucie County Jail on Tuesday on $18,750 bail, a jail official said.