In January, over 25 unreleased Eminem songs were mysteriously leaked online. On Wednesday (March 19), a 46-year-old former Eminem employee named Joseph Strange was charged by the FBI with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
The Detroit rapper's spokesperson shared a statement with Variety:
Eminem and his team are very appreciative of the efforts by the FBI Detroit bureau for its thorough investigation which led to the charges against Joe Strange. 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. We will continue to take any and all steps necessary to protect Eminem’s art and will stop at nothing to do so.
The criminal complaint obtained by Variety says Strange was a former sound engineer for Eminem from 2007 to 2021. He worked at a recording studio in Ferndale, MI, and had access to the music that leaked. The material was recorded by Eminem between 1999 and 2018.
“Joseph Strange helped set up and operate the computer/hard drive system that contains the music created by Mathers,” the criminal complaint reads, per Detroit Free Press. “This system is not connected to the internet and only a few people have access to the system. Joseph Strange had access to the drives while he was employed at the studio.”
The FBI identified several individuals who had purchased the unreleased songs including one who goes by Doja Rat and allegedly worked with a group of fans online to pay Strange $50,000 in Bitcoin. According to Doja Rat, Strange claimed to have more than 300 songs and handwritten lyric sheets. If convicted of copyright infringement, Strange faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
