Eminem’s former employee is facing federal charges for allegedly leaking the rapper’s music.
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that Joseph Strange has been charged with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
The copyright charge carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the stolen goods charge could bring a maximum 10-year sentence.
According to the Detroit Free Press, at least 25 unreleased Eminem tracks recorded between 1998 and 2018 appeared online in January. FBI agents found these songs on a hard drive in Strange’s Detroit home in late January.
Authorities also found multiple hard drives with thousands of audio files, handwritten lyrics and notes, and an unreleased Eminem music video.
“The significant damage caused by a trusted employee to Eminem’s artistic legacy and creative integrity cannot be overstated, let alone the enormous financial losses incurred by the many creators and collaborators that deserve protection for their decades of work,” said Em’s spokesperson Dennis Dennehy.
One leaked track was reportedly “Smack You,” which targeted Suge Knight and Ja Rule. Eminem’s team stated the song was “never meant for public consumption” and was a “dated” recording.
A Canadian man allegedly paid Strange $50,000 in Bitcoin for the music, funded by a group of Eminem fans.
Strange worked as an audio engineer at Eminem’s Effigy studio in Ferndale, Michigan from 2007 to 2021. He was one of only four people with access to Eminem’s password-protected hard drives. His brother, Mike Strange, still works at Effigy as an engineer.
The FBI made progress when producer Fredwreck was contacted by a UK-based Eminem fan who shared conversations with an internet user called Doja Rat – later identified as the Canadian buyer. Doja Rat provided a list of leaked songs that Effigy employees confirmed were stored on their drives. The fans involved aren’t named in the complaint or facing charges.
“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck stated.
