A former sound engineer for rapper Eminem has been charged with stealing the artist’s unreleased music and selling it for Bitcoin, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege that Joseph Strange, 46, sold 25 unfinished Eminem songs to a Canadian buyer he met online. The complaint states that the buyer paid about $50,000 in Bitcoin for the tracks. Strange previously worked at Effigy, Eminem’s Michigan-based music studio, between 2007 and 2021.
According to court documents, studio employees discovered that unreleased music by Eminem had appeared on online platforms, including YouTube and Reddit. The discovery led to an FBI investigation.
Strange’s lawyer said the allegations have not yet been tested in court and stressed that the complaint represents accusations, not proof.
A spokesperson for Eminem said the leak caused serious harm to the rapper’s artistic legacy and led to financial losses for the many people involved in creating the music.
Prosecutors say Strange was deeply involved in Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining and only accepted cryptocurrency as payment.
Strange faces charges of criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. The first charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The second charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Unauthorized leaks of Eminem’s work have occurred before. In 2002, tracks from “The Eminem Show” were sold illegally before release, forcing the rapper to move up the album’s launch date.
