# Stephen Coronel

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**Stephen Coronel** (born March 21, 1951) is an American guitarist and former member of the rock band [Wicked Lester](/source/Wicked_Lester). He co-wrote a handful of songs that would later be recorded by the group [Kiss](/source/Kiss_(band)), a band which featured former Wicked Lester members [Paul Stanley](/source/Paul_Stanley) and [Gene Simmons](/source/Gene_Simmons). In 2014, Coronel was charged with possessing [child pornography](/source/Child_pornography), and was incarcerated at [Kershaw Correctional Institution](/source/Kershaw_Correctional_Institution) in [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina) from 2016 to 2019.

## Musical career

A veteran of several New York City-area bands such as The Long Island Sounds, Bullfrog Bheer (with [Gene Simmons](/source/Gene_Simmons)), Tree (with [Paul Stanley](/source/Paul_Stanley)), Cathedral, Coffee, and Rainbow (unrelated to the [Ritchie Blackmore](/source/Ritchie_Blackmore) band of the same name),[1] Coronel introduced Stanley to Gene Simmons at his Washington Heights apartment in the early 1970s. The trio would go on to form Wicked Lester, which later morphed into [Kiss](/source/Kiss_(band)) when Simmons and Stanley decided to move in a new musical direction. Not involved in the formation of Kiss, Coronel formed the band Lover. While still a member of Wicked Lester in the early 1970s, Coronel created the riff and chord structures of future Kiss songs "[She](/source/She_(Kiss_song))" and "[Goin' Blind](/source/Goin'_Blind)" with Simmons.

## Sexual exploitation conviction

Coronel was arrested on September 26, 2014, and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. A [U.S. Department of Justice](/source/U.S._Department_of_Justice) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation determined that [child pornography](/source/Child_pornography) had been uploaded from a residence in [Bluffton, South Carolina](/source/Bluffton,_South_Carolina).[2][3]

Coronel was sentenced to six years in prison on April 27, 2016, after being found guilty of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was incarcerated at the Kershaw Correctional Institution in South Carolina.[4]

Coronel was released from prison and placed on probation as of March 3, 2019.[5]

## References

1. Simmons, Gene (2002). [*Kiss and Make-Up*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hb18_n19qkAC&pg=PA56). New York City: Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-0-609-81002-6. Retrieved May 14, 2011.

1. Wilkening, Matthew (September 28, 2014). ["Wicked Lester Guitarist Stephen Coronel Arrested on Child Pornography Charges"](http://ultimateclassicrock.com/stephen-coronel-child-pornography-arrest/?trackback=tsmclip). *[Ultimate Classic Rock](/source/Ultimate_Classic_Rock)*. Retrieved December 20, 2018.

1. Lurye, Rebecca (September 28, 2014). ["SC guitarist faces child pornography charge"](http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article9196211.html#.VChueHKXJK9). *[Charlotte Observer](/source/Charlotte_Observer)*. Retrieved December 20, 2018.

1. ["CORONEL, STEPHEN (00367950)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180804140900/https://public.doc.state.sc.us/scdc-public/inmateDetails.do?id=%2000367950). *public.doc.state.sc.us*. Archived from [the original](https://public.doc.state.sc.us/scdc-public/inmateDetails.do?id=%2000367950) on August 4, 2018.

1. ["STEPHEN CORONEL, Former Guitarist For Pre-KISS band WICKED LESTER, On Probation For 2014 Child Sex Crimes"](https://blabbermouth.net/news/stephen-coronel-former-guitarist-for-pre-kiss-band-wicked-lester-on-probation-for-2014-child-sex-crimes). *Blabbermouth.net*. March 9, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.

## External links

- [Legendary Rock Interviews interview with Steve Coronel by John Parks](https://web.archive.org/web/20130701043757/http://www.legendaryrockinterviews.com/2012/12/26/steve-coronel-ex-wicked-lester-guitarist-and-kiss-songwriter-talks-growing-up-with-the-demon-and-pre-kisstory/)
- [Kiss army Spain interview with Steve Coronel by Javier Rueda and Fernando Martínez](http://kissarmyspain.com/2013/05/steve-coronel-interview-for-kiss-army-spain)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stephen Coronel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Coronel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Coronel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.