A man who was charged with stealing and selling unreleased Eminem music that leaked to the web last year has pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of copyright.
In March 2025, former Eminem employee Joseph Strange was charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods after he sold the rapper’s music to individuals who put more than 25 songs online in January. Today, the United States Department of Justice announced that the 48-year-old entered a guilty plea and will be facing a maximum of five years in prison.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
A representative for Eminem did not immediately return Variety‘s request for comment.
According to the original criminal complaint, Strange was a former sound engineer for Eminem from 2007 until 2021 who worked at a recording studio in Ferndale, Michigan, and had access to the music that leaked. Several studio employees contacted the FBI after discovering that unreleased music had hit the web in January 2025.
The FBI identified numerous individuals who purchased the music, including one named Doja Rat, who said he paid Strange $50,000 for songs. According to Doja Rat, Strange said he had over 300 songs and handwritten lyric sheets. FBI agents then searched Strange’s residence and seized hard drives that had copies of Eminem’s unreleased music.
Data provided by streaming providers showed that by November 2025, the infringing songs had been accessed more than eight million times and the amount of the files is estimated to be at least $750,000.
“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.”
“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 will be sentenced on January 27, 2027.