Hawaii musician pleads no contest in molestation

The Associated Press 6:36 PM Friday, January 27, 2012

HONOLULU — A popular Hawaii entertainer has pleaded no contest to molesting two girls in the 1990s and has been sentenced to a year in jail.

A Los Angeles judge also sentenced Cecilio Rodriguez on Friday to 52 weeks of sexual-offender counseling and five years' probation.

The 67-year-old Rodriguez is part of the longtime musical duo Cecilio & Kapono. He was arrested in September in Los Angeles County and charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.

KHON-TV reports that both victims, sisters who are now adults, tearfully told the judge that Rodriguez violated their parents' trust.

Cecilio & Kapono, simply known as C&K, formed on Oahu's North Shore in 1973 when Rodriguez and Henry Kapono were introduced by mutual friends. Kapono couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Before the arrest, the group was on the mainland for the group's "Back in the Day Good Times Together" tour.

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January 27, 2012 11:33 PM EST

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