Joseph Strange, who worked for Eminem for over a decade until 2021, entered a guilty plea to criminal copyright infringement. Prosecutors alleged that Strange used his access to the rapper’s files to sell at least 10 unreleased tracks online between July and August of 2024, receiving $50,000 in compensation.
The unauthorized sale came to light when a member of Eminem’s team discovered the leaked music and contacted the FBI in 2025. The federal investigation into the matter remains ongoing. According to the Justice Department, the estimated value of the infringement is at least $750,000.
Strange faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 27, 2027. In a statement, Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva described Strange’s actions as an abuse of his trusted position and emphasized the department’s commitment to protecting intellectual property rights and holding accountable those who profit from theft of creative works.
The case is part of a broader pattern affecting major recording artists. Ariana Grande filed a lawsuit over hacking and music leaks earlier this year, and a man separately pleaded guilty to stealing hard drives containing unreleased Beyoncé music from a choreographer’s rental vehicle during tour operations.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI