Eminem’s Former Engineer Pleads Guilty to Stealing and Selling His Unreleased Songs
Written by Kiss Media on 23 October 2026
Betrayal from inside the camp. A former employee of Eminem has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after stealing unreleased music from the Detroit legend and selling it online for tens of thousands of dollars.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Joseph Strange — who worked as a sound engineer for Eminem from 2007 to 2021 — pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of copyright in federal court on Thursday (Oct. 22). Prosecutors say Strange used his trusted access to the rapper’s music files to reproduce and sell unreleased tracks.
“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 scheme unraveled when an Eminem associate discovered the leaked music and contacted the FBI. Investigators allege Strange sold at least 10 unreleased tracks between July and August of 2024 for a total of $50,000 — and the estimated infringement amount of the stolen files tops $750,000.
On Jan. 28, 2025, FBI agents raided Strange’s home and found original handwritten lyrics and recorded material belonging to Em inside a safe, along with hard drives containing audio tracks from the rapper and his collaborators.
Strange is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
It’s a stark reminder of how much unreleased music changes hands in the shadows — and how seriously the feds take it when the artist is one of hip-hop’s biggest. Eminem’s catalog is among the most guarded in the game, which makes an insider leak like this especially wild.
In the meantime, revisit one of Em’s biggest recent moments — watch the official video for Eminem’s “Houdini”.
Should the punishment be harsher for leaking an artist’s unreleased work? Sound off in the comments, send us your requests, and call the request line at +1 302-357-9831.
Source: XXL
