Criminal copyright infringement plea in Eminem leak case

Joseph Strange, 48, a former employee of rapper Eminem, pleaded guilty on Oct. 22 to criminal copyright infringement for selling unreleased music without permission, according to a filing in Michigan federal court. Strange admitted to copying at least 10 audio files from a password-protected drive he could access and selling them in 2024 for around $50,000. The tracks were later leaked online and streamed between eight and nine million times.

Strange worked for Eminem, whose legal name is Marshall Mathers, at a studio in Ferndale, Michigan, from about 2007 to 2021. He helped set up and run the computer system that stored the rapper's music, which gave him access to hard drives holding songs in various stages of development that were not meant for the public. Prosecutors said the criminal copyright infringement began between July and August 2024, when Strange made copies of 10 or more audio files. The investigation began in January 2025, when current employees found the unreleased music for sale and told the FBI it could only have come from someone with direct physical access to a secure studio location.

How it surfaced

The FBI charged Strange in March 2025 with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. Agents searched his home and found hard drives with never-released audio files, handwritten lyrics and a copy of a music video that was never released in a safe, the Detroit Free Press reported. A Canadian fan told agents he had paid about $50,000 in Bitcoin for more than 10 unreleased tracks. Studio employees later confirmed the song list matched a hard drive secured at the Ferndale facility.

Strange agreed in the plea deal that $1 million was a reasonable estimate of the infringement value of the stolen files. The government agreed to recommend a substantial reduction in his offense level because he accepted responsibility. The charge of criminal copyright infringement generally carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Terms of the plea

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said Strange abused a position of trust. "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," Duva said in a statement. "His conduct undermined both legal and artistic rights."

U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan said, "Our republic is built on the right to property. We will protect that right by punishing criminals who steal the physical or intellectual property of Americans." The department said its Criminal Division stays focused on protecting intellectual property and holding accountable those who profit from the theft of creative work.

Strange's attorney Wade Fink said, "Joe Strange is a good man whose children have suffered greatly in all of this. It is a far more complicated and nuanced matter than a man just unabashedly stealing." Joseph Strange is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, the Detroit Free Press reported. He faces up to five years in prison for the criminal copyright infringement charge.

The hard drive

The music lived on password-protected hard drives that were not connected to the internet, inside a private studio open only to a small number of employees and invited guests, the complaint said. Strange was one of four studio employees with access to the drives. The plea resolves the criminal copyright infringement charge filed in March 2025.

The case was heard by Judge Brandy R. McMillion of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.