A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to reproducing and selling unreleased music created by the rapper Eminem.
Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, who was formerly employed by the artist and musician Marshall Mathers, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to a charge related to his role in the reproduction and sale of unreleased music created by Eminem.
“Our republic is built on the right to property,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. “We will protect that right by punishing criminals who steal the physical or intellectual property of Americans.”
According to court documents, Strange was an employee of Mathers from approximately 2007 until 2021. During Strange’s employment, he worked at a studio in Ferndale, Michigan that Mathers used to create and develop music for future sale and distribution. During his employment, Strange helped set up and operate a computer system that stored music created by Mathers. Strange had access to password-protected hard drives that contained music in the process of being developed by Mathers and that was not yet meant to be released to the public. At some point Strange — without authority — copied 10 or more audio files of music and material in various stages of development from one or more of these drives. Between July and August of 2024, Strange sold and transmitted 10 or more of these music files to purchasers via the internet for a total of approximately $50,000. Strange did so without Mathers’s knowledge or authorization.
“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,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His conduct undermined both legal and artistic rights. The Criminal Division remains committed to protecting intellectual property, holding accountable those who seek to profit from theft of creative content, and working with our law enforcement partners to deter and disrupt these crimes.”
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Audio files sold by Strange were ultimately released online and made available on various public streaming platforms, without the permission or prior knowledge of Mathers. According to facts alleged by the government, while no commercial release of the music or material within these files was imminent or even certain, professional efforts had been made to prepare some of the music for possible commercial release, in some cases including studio mastering. Data provided by several streaming providers evidenced that, as of November 2025, infringing audio files identified by the government had been accessed more than eight million times. The infringement amount of the stolen files is estimated to be at least $750,000.
“Detroit has always been a city where creativity thrives, and no one has the right to steal or profit from another artist’s work without their permission,” said Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea reinforces a simple principle: accountability follows those who compromise the integrity of another person’s creative labor. I want to commend the outstanding work of our FBI Oakland County Resident Agency and the entire investigative team, whose persistence and professionalism drove this case forward. We also appreciate the cooperation of Mathers Music Studio throughout the investigation. Protecting intellectual property means protecting the time, talent, and livelihoods behind it, and we will continue to treat these violations with the seriousness they deserve.”
Strange pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of a copyright. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Wyse and Alyse Wu for the Eastern District of Michigan and Senior Counsel Vasantha Rao of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are prosecuting the case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.