A former Eminem studio engineer has been charged with stealing the Detroit rapper’s unreleased music and selling it online.
Federal prosecutors have announced that more than 25 songs have been played or distributed online without the consent of Eminem or his record label.
The music was stored on password-protected hard drives and kept in a safe at Eminem’s studio in Michigan.
Joseph Strange of Holly, Michigan, has been charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
Strange, who lost his job at the 8 Mile star’s studio in 2021, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
Studio employees reported the theft to the FBI in January, saying unreleased music was being played on various websites, including Reddit and YouTube.
A review showed someone transferred files from a hard drive in a safe to an external hard drive in October 2019 and January 2020, when Strange was working at the studio.
A Canadian resident told investigators he had purchased 25 unreleased songs from Strange for about $50,000 (£38,000) in Bitcoin.
He was also allegedly offered some of Eminem’s handwritten lyric sheets.
Strange’s attorney told The Associated Press that the charges were “untested allegations” and that “We will handle the matter in a courtroom.”
