Eminem Ex-Staffer Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Theft

A former Eminem employee has pleaded guilty to a copyright infringement charge related to the reproduction and sale of unreleased tracks by the artist.

Joseph Strange, a 48-year-old man who was formerly employed by celebrated rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers), has pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to a copyright infringement charge related to his role in the reproduction and sale of Eminem’s previously unreleased music.

Court documents reveal that Mathers employed Strange from approximately 2007 until 2021. Strange worked at a studio in Ferndale, Michigan, that Mathers used to create and develop his music. During his employment, Strange helped set up and operate a computer system that stored music created by Mathers and had access to password-protected hard drives that contained music in the process of being developed and that was not yet meant to be publicly released.

Without authority, Strange copied at least 10 audio files of music and material in various stages of development from one or more of these drives. During the summer of 2024, he sold and transmitted 10 or more of these files to purchasers via the internet for a total of approximately $50,000, which he did without Mathers’ knowledge or authorization.

The files Strange sold were ultimately released online and made publicly available via streaming platforms, again without Mathers’ permission or prior knowledge. While no commercial release of the music or material within the files was allegedly planned, professional efforts had been made to prepare some of the music for possible commercial release and, in some cases, even included studio mastering.

According to data provided by several streaming providers, as of November 2025, infringing audio files identified by the government were accessed over eight million times. The infringement amount of the stolen content is estimated to be at least $750,000.

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His conduct undermined both legal and artistic rights. 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.”

“Detroit has always been a city where creativity thrives, and no one has the right to steal or profit from another artist’s work without their permission,” said Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea reinforces a simple principle: accountability follows those who compromise the integrity of another person’s creative labor. […] 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.”

Strange pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of a copyright and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2027. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines.