A former Orlando nightclub owner will spend 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a child sex crimes case involving sexually explicit communications with a minor. His co-defendant received a separate 10-year sentence, bringing the case to a grim close after years of investigation.
Two Federal Sentences Follow Guilty Pleas
Richard Kowalczyk, the former owner of Southern Nights, was sentenced in federal court in Orlando on Friday after pleading guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Eric Patrick, who pleaded guilty to a similar charge, was sentenced to 10 years, according to WESH 2.
Kowalczyk’s April 2026 plea agreement called for at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison, along with sex-offender registration, as reported by ClickOrlando. The final 14-year sentence exceeded that minimum, while Patrick’s case resulted in a decade behind bars.
Text Messages Became The Center Of The Case
The indictment traced years of text messages between Kowalczyk and Patrick, who officials said discussed finding teenage boys for sexual relationships and exchanged sexual images involving people they met online. An earlier WESH report said some of the people discussed in the communications were under 18, with the alleged conduct stretching back to at least 2019.
Investigators said the men pursued a 15-year-old during a 2020 trip to Key West and exchanged images of the teen. ClickOrlando reported that law enforcement later seized Kowalczyk’s phone at an Orlando airport and searched the Central Florida home he shared with Patrick, finding images and videos depicting child exploitation, including images of children younger than 12.
After Kowalczyk’s arrest in January 2025, Southern Nights and District Dive said the businesses had no involvement in the allegations. Kowalczyk transferred ownership and stepped away from the clubs, which continued operating under new ownership.
Part Of A Broader Federal Crackdown
The sentencing comes as federal prosecutors in Central Florida continue pursuing online child-exploitation cases. In May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced a life sentence for an Orlando man convicted in a sextortion scheme involving more than 50 child victims.
