A man accused of stealing and selling unreleased Eminem music that was leaked online last year has pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement.
In March 2025, Joseph Strange, a former employee of Eminem, was charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods after selling the rapper’s music to individuals who uploaded more than 25 songs online in January. Today, the United States Department of Justice announced that the 48-year-old had pleaded guilty and would face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“Joseph Strange abused his position of trust to illegally copy and sell unreleased music owned by Eminem, profiting from works not yet authorized for public distribution,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. “His conduct infringed on legal and artistic rights. The Criminal Division remains committed to protecting intellectual property, holding accountable those who seek to profit from the theft of creative content, and working with our law enforcement partners to deter and disrupt these crimes.”
A rep for Eminem declined Varietyrequest for comment. Strange’s attorney, Wade Fink, meanwhile, called the Justice Department’s press release regarding the guilty plea “hyperbolic” and “self-righteous,” and said it would have a “terrible impact” on Strange and his family.
“Joe Strange is a good man whose children have suffered greatly through all of this,” Fink said in a statement to Variety. “And make sure the actual facts of this case bear little resemblance to the comments made to the public. This is a far more complex and nuanced case than a man who shamelessly stole. Nonetheless, my client has taken responsibility for what he did, has enormous remorse for what happened to his family, and has great confidence, as I do, in the judges in our district to see this case for what it is.”
According to the initial criminal complaint, Strange was a former recording engineer for Eminem from 2007 to 2021, who worked at a recording studio in Ferndale, Michigan, and had access to the leaked music. Several studio employees contacted the FBI after discovering that unreleased music had arrived online in January 2025.
The FBI identified numerous people who purchased the music, including one named Doja Rat, who said she paid Strange $50,000 for the songs. According to Doja Rat, Strange said he had over 300 songs and handwritten lyric sheets. FBI agents then searched Strange’s residence and seized hard drives containing copies of Eminem’s unreleased music.
Data provided by streaming providers showed that as of November 2025, the infringing songs had been viewed more than eight million times and the value of the files was estimated to be worth at least $750,000.
“Our republic is built on property rights,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. “We will protect this right by punishing criminals who steal Americans’ physical or intellectual property.”
“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’s Detroit Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea reinforces a simple principle: accountability follows those who compromise the integrity of the creative work of others. I want to commend the exceptional work of our Oakland County FBI resident agency and the entire investigative team, whose persistence and professionalism moved this case forward. We also appreciate the cooperation of Mathers Music Studio throughout the investigation. Protecting intellectual property means protecting the time, talent and livelihood that goes into it. underlying, and we will continue to treat these violations with the seriousness they deserve.”
Strange will be sentenced on January 27, 2027.
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