Former study engineer accused of stealing music from Eminem unpublished to sell online – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana traffic

(AP) – A former Eminem studio engineer was accused on Wednesday of stealing the unpublished music of Detroit rapper and selling it online, federal prosecutors announced.

Researchers say that more than 25 songs online have been reproduced or distributed without the consent of Eminem o Interscope Capital Labels Group, which has the music of Eminem. The music was stored on hard -drawn hard drives maintained in a safe in Eminem’s Studio in Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit, according to a affidavit of the FBI.

Joseph Strange, 46, of Holly, Michigan, was accused through a criminal complaint before the violation of copyright and interstate transport of stolen property, said US prosecutor Julie Beck in Detroit. Strange, who lost his work in Eminem’s study in 2021, could face up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of both positions.

Strange’s lawyer, Wade Fink, said in a text Associated Press that Strange is a married father of two two “with decades of dedication to the music industry.” He called the “unseeding accusations” charges that have not been examined by a large jury or a judge.

“Management of the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district,” he said.

Studio employees reported FBI theft in January, saying that the unpublished music that was still under development was playing on several websites, including Reddit and YouTube.

A review showed that someone transferred files from a hard drive on an external hard drive in October 2019 and January 2020, when Strange was a sound engineer in the study.

The researchers found buyers after Eminem’s business partner, Fred Nassar, published an online warning to fans who do not distribute music.

A Canadian resident who used the name of the Doja Rat screen told the researchers that he had bought 25 unpublished Strange songs for about $ 50,000 in Bitcoin. He said he raised the money from a group of fans of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III.

Strange was also trying to sell some of Eminem’s handwritten letters, said Doja Rat.

According to the Affidavit, another group of fans organized by someone in Connecticut using the name of the ATL screen also bought a “couple” of Strange songs for around $ 1,000.

A FBI search at Strange’s house in January presented numerous leaves and notes of Eminem Lyric written by hand; a VHS tape of an unpublished video of Eminem; and hard drives with 12,000 audio files. Some of the files contained music in several stages of development of Eminem and unidentified artists who work with him, according to the affidavit.

Eminem won the best hip-hop act In 2024 MTV EMAS and was included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

The Affidavit indicates that Strange signed an agreement as part of his compensation package that prohibited it specifically electronically circularly Eminem’s work.

“Protecting the intellectual property of thieves is essential to safeguard the exclusive rights of creators and protect their original work from reproduction and distribution by people who seek to benefit from the creative production of others,” Beck said in a press release.