A former employee of rapper Eminem pleaded guilty to stealing and selling the musician’s unreleased songs.
Joseph Strange, who worked for the rap artist from 2007 to 2021, pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of copyright, the Department of Justice said Thursday. He sold audio files in various stages of development on the internet for a total of about $50,000.
During Strange’s employment, he worked at a studio in Ferndale, Michigan, where Eminem recorded.
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Strange helped set up and operate a computer system that stored the artist’s music and had access to password-protected hard drives that contained music in the process of being developed and not yet meant to be released to the public.
Without the knowledge or authorization of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, Strange copied 10 or more audio files of music and material in various stages of development from one or more hard drives.
Between July and August of 2024, Strange sold and transmitted the files to purchasers on the internet.
As of November 2025, the infringing audio files identified by the government had been accessed more than 8 million times, according to data provided by several streaming providers given to the prosecution.
The stolen files are estimated to be worth at least $750,000.
Strange pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to criminal infringement of a copyright. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
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