The former employee of Eminem who was arrested for selling the rapper’s unreleased music has pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal infringement of a copyright. The United States Department of Justice announced Thursday that 48-year-old Joseph Strange, who worked for Eminem in Detroit from 2007 to 2021, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan, 18 months after Strange’s arrest. According to the criminal complaint against Strange, Eminem first became aware in January 2025 that some of his unreleased music had leaked online and was available for sale.
The FBI were contacted, with the investigation uncovering multiple individuals that purchased the unreleased music. Those individuals identified Joseph Strange as the person selling the music. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.
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.” Strange was initially charged with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods, but ultimately only pleaded guilty to the former; the Justice Department assessed the value of the leaked tracks — which were “accessed more than eight million times” — at $750,000. Strange faces up to five years in prison when he’s sentenced on January 27. Trending Stories John Anderson, Country Music Hall of Famer With Unmistakable Voice, Dead at 71 Aaron Carter Estate Reaches Settlement With Walgreens Over Xanax Prescriptions Zac Brown Delivers Emotional ‘Duet’ With Dolly Parton During Tribute Ceremony Julia Stiles Honors Heath Ledger With ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Performance “Today’s guilty plea reinforces a simple principle: accountability follows those who compromise the integrity of another person’s creative labor,” Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office said in a statement.
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.” A rep for the rapper did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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