Eminem's Former Studio Engineer Pleads Guilty to Selling His Unreleased Songs

Joseph Strange, 48, Eminem's former studio engineer, pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement for copying unreleased Eminem songs and selling them online for about $50K in 2024. The leaks were played 8M+ times. He faces up to 5 years; sentencing Jan. 27.

Eminem's former studio engineer has pleaded guilty to stealing and selling the rapper's unreleased music.

Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, pleaded guilty in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of criminal copyright infringement, the Justice Department announced Thursday. He faces up to five years in prison. Sentencing is set for Jan. 27, 2027.

Strange worked for Eminem from about 2007 to 2021 at his studio in Ferndale, Michigan, where he helped run the computer system that stored songs still in development. Prosecutors say he copied 10 or more audio files from password-protected drives and sold them online in July and August 2024 for about $50,000, without Eminem knowing.

Those files later landed on streaming platforms and were accessed more than 8 million times as of November 2025, according to the government, which puts the infringement amount at $750,000 or more. Billboard reported the leaked material included tracks with 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, plus an alleged 2003 diss aimed at Suge Knight and Ja Rule.

Studio staff contacted the FBI in January 2025 after finding the unreleased music online. Strange was first charged with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, but pleaded guilty only to the copyright count.

His attorney, Wade G. Fink, told Billboard the case is "much more complicated and nuanced" than it's being made to seem, and said his client "has taken accountability."

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice (Oct. 22, 2026); CBS Detroit, Billboard, Rolling Stone and Variety (Oct. 22, 2026). Image: Eminem 'Godzilla' video / Lyrical Lemonade.