Ex-Eminem employee pleads guilty to federal copyright law after selling unreleased tracks
- On Thursday, October 22, 2026, Joseph Strange, a former Eminem sound engineer, pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement in Detroit, admitting he stole and sold unreleased music files.
- While employed at the Ferndale studio from 2007 to 2021, Strange accessed password-protected hard drives containing unreleased material and sold copies to online purchasers including one known as "Doja Rat."
- Between July and August 2024, Strange sold at least 10 files for approximately $50,000; the stolen tracks were accessed more than nine million times with an estimated infringement value of $1 million.
- Sentencing is set for January 27, 2027, with Strange facing up to five years in prison after prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious interstate theft charge carrying a 10-year penalty.
- Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva stated Strange "abused a position of trust" profiting from creative content, while Eminem's spokesperson Dennis Dennehy said the theft caused "significant damage" to the artist's legacy.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Former Eminem employee pleads guilty to selling rapper’s unreleased music
A former employee of Eminem has pleaded guilty in Michigan to illegally copying and selling the rapper’s unreleased music for about $50,000, according to federal prosecutors. The files later appeared online and were accessed more than eight million times. Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, pleaded guilty on Thursday to criminal copyright infringement in the […]
Several unpublished Eminem songs appeared on the Internet and were retrieved millions of times. A total of about $50,000 is said to have earned a former rap-size employee.
Eminem's former sound engineer Joseph Strange pleaded guilty to stealing and distributing the rapper's unreleased tracks, Variety reports
Eminem's former sound engineer Joseph Strange pleaded guilty to stealing and distributing the rapper's unreleased tracks, Variety reports. After a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, he faces up to five years in prison.According to the...
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