5 Browns' dad pleads guilty in sex abuse

Keith Scott Brown, whose five children make up the popular classical piano group The 5 Browns, pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual-abuse charges in a plea bargain at Utah's 4th District Court, in Provo.

Confessing to three felony counts for molesting his three daughters when they were children in the 1990s, he faces at least 10 years in prison when Judge David N. Mortensen hands down a sentence on March 31.

Brown remains free until then. "I don't think he's a risk to anyone right now," Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Brown's daughters - Desirae, 32, Deondra, 30, and Melody, 26, who allowed the release of their identities - consented to the plea arrangement, Sturgill added.

The Juilliard-trained quintet, which also includes brothers Gregory, 28, and Ryan, 24, had the No. 2 album on Billboard's classical chart in 2005, according to AllMusic.com. The 5 Browns have released four albums overall and typically attract young people to their concerts. The family has appeared on "Oprah" and were profiled on "60 Minutes."

Keith Brown, 55, negotiated with prosecutors for nearly six months to arrive at the plea deal, his attorney, Steven Shapiro, told the paper.

"[The girls] wanted their father to take responsibility more than anything else," Sturgill said. "And they felt there should be a serious punishment."

"There is tremendous relief," the group's spokesman, Kimball Thomson, told ABC News. "The girls handled the situation with such integrity and courage."

None of the women was in court for the hearing, The Associated Press said. Keith Brown, formerly the group's manager, has had no professional connection with his children since October 2008.