A former Eminem studio employee pleaded guilty in federal court in Michigan on Thursday, October 22, to criminal copyright infringement for copying and selling the rapper's unreleased music, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, worked for Marshall Mathers from about 2007 until 2021 at the Ferndale studio where Eminem records and develops new music.
Inside the Studio Breach
According to the Justice Department, Strange helped set up and operate the computer system that stored Eminem's music, giving him access to password-protected hard drives holding songs still in development and not meant for the public. Without authorization, he copied 10 or more audio files, then sold and transmitted them to buyers online between July and August 2024 for about $50,000 in total, according to court documents cited by the Justice Department. Reuters reported the same plea and sale figure on Thursday.
The sold files ultimately surfaced online and on public streaming platforms without Eminem's knowledge. Streaming-provider data showed the infringing files had been accessed more than eight million times as of November 2025, and the Justice Department estimates the infringement amount at at least $750,000.
What Strange Faces
"Joseph Strange abused a position of trust to unlawfully copy and sell unreleased music belonging to Eminem, profiting from works that were not yet authorized for public distribution," Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a statement. "His conduct undermined both legal and artistic rights."
Strange is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2027, and faces a maximum of five years in prison; a federal judge will set the sentence under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the Justice Department said. PEOPLE reported that after Strange was charged in March 2025, Eminem's longtime publicist said the damage from a trusted employee "cannot be overstated" and that the team would take every step necessary to protect Eminem's art. The FBI investigated the case, according to the Justice Department.
Filed under The Wire, MixShow Prime's music industry news desk.
