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Eminem (Photo by Michigan Central)
A former employee of Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, has been charged with stealing and selling the rapper's unreleased music on the Internet for possibly tens of thousands of dollars.
Joseph Strange, 46, of Holly, a former sound engineer, faces federal charges of criminal infringement of copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
A federal criminal complaint alleges that Eminem's music studio in Ferndale contacted the FBI on Jan. 16 after discovering that the rapper's unreleased music, that was still in the process of being developed, was available on the Internet on Reddit, YouTube and leaked.cx.
The FBI contacted people who bought the unreleased music and identified Strange as the seller, authorities said.
"To date, over 25 songs have been played/distributed on the internet without the consent of Mathers and/or Interscope Capital Labels Group," according to an FBI affidavit in the case. "These songs were originally created by Mathers between 1999 and 2018 and were in various stages of development."
An FBI affidavit stated that a 31-year-old Ontario man who went by "Doja Rat" on the Internet, told agents he sent Strange about $50,000 through Bitcoin for about 25 Enimem songs over a six-month period. The man said he helped raise the funds online through a group of Eminem fans.
The FBI searched Strange's Holly home on Jan. 28 and seized evidence including hard drives containing copies of the unreleased music posted on the Internet along with hand-written notes/lyric sheets created by Mathers, according to the affidavit written by an FBI agent in the Oakland County office.
Strange worked for Mathers as a sound engineer from approximately 2007 until 2021 when he was let go, authorities said. Strange helped set up and operate the computer/hard drive system at the studio that contains the music created by Mathers.
Before leaving, Strange signed a non-disclosure agreement saying he would not release any information about Eminem, the company or artists he was working with including photos, videos or audio.
“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck in a statement.
Cheyvoryea Gibson, head of the Detroit FBI commented:
“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists' intellectual
property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally."
