Eminem doesn’t play when it comes to his music.
One of the rapper’s former employees, Joseph Strange, was recently charged with criminal infringement of copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods after allegedly stealing and attempting to sell Eminem’s unreleased music, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan.
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The press release also noted that the investigation was sparked on January 16 after one of Eminem’s employees contacted the FBI. The 52-year-old Grammy Award-winning artist’s employee notified the Bureau that they had found his boss’s unreleased music—which he was still working on—up for sale on a number of websites, according to the release. There is also mention of an image that was taken from a hard drive at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, Michigan.
The FBI reportedly tracked down the buyers of the unreleased tracks, who helped them identify Strange, 46, as the seller.
The report also included a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck that said, “Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others.”
Strange worked for Eminem from 2007 to 2021 and will face a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.
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