Eminem's former sound engineer, Joseph Strange, charged with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods

The former sound engineer for U.S. singer and rapper Eminem has been charged with leaking and selling the artist's unreleased songs for $50,000 in bitcoin (BTC).

Eminem's former sound engineer has been accused of leaking and selling 25 of the rapper's unreleased songs for $50,000 in bitcoin.

The former engineer, Joseph Strange, 46, who worked in Eminem's studio in Ferndale, Michigan, also allegedly sold the songs to raise bitcoin from Eminem fans, according to a report by The New York Times.

Strange, who lost his job in 2021 after working in the studio for four years, did not have the rapper's consent to sell the songs, nor did he have the consent of Interscope Records, the rightful owners of the songs.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has charged Strange with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

The songs, which were written by Eminem between 1999 and 2018, began circulating on Youtube and Reddit, where current employees at Eminem's studio encountered the music.

The employees were able to identify the music as having been stored on hard drives in the studio, which are not connected to the internet for security reasons.

After Eminem became aware of the leak, one of his employees reportedly issued a warning via social media against sharing the music. This warning prompted an unidentified tipster to expose a Canadian national who confessed to having bought 25 songs from Strange sometime in 2024.

The Canadian claimed that the bitcoin used to acquire the music had been raised from a group of Eminem fans.

The FBI investigation ultimately led to a raid on Strange's home in January, where agents recovered Eminem's original handwritten lyric sheets among other items.

Strange, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on one of the charges, is being represented by a lawyer, who stated that the former engineer "will seek justice and fairness in the courtroom."