Trump DOJ Gets Guilty Plea Out Of Former Employee Who Stole Music From Eminem

A former employee of the rapper Eminem has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing unreleased recordings and selling them online, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Joseph Strange, 48, faces a maximum of five years in prison. Eminem's legal name is Marshall Mathers, according to Daily Wire.

According to the department, Strange worked for Mathers from roughly 2007 to 2021 at a studio in Ferndale, Michigan, where he helped build and run the computer system holding music under development. Because he could open the password-protected drives, prosecutors say he copied at least 10 audio files without permission. Between July and August 2024 he sold them to internet buyers for about $50,000.

The songs later surfaced online and on public streaming services without Mathers' knowledge or consent. Many had been mastered in the studio, though no release was assured. By November 2025, the files the government identified had been played more than eight million times, and prosecutors put the infringement amount at no less than $750,000.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Criminal Division said Strange exploited a position of trust and that the division is committed to protecting intellectual property and deterring such crimes. Sentencing is set for January 27, 2027.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Wire’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Wire →