A former sound engineer for Grammy award-winning rapper Eminem has been accused of leaking and selling the artist’s unreleased music for thousands in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).
What Happened: Joseph Strange, a 46-year-old from Holly, Michigan, has been identified as the person violating copyright laws through the sale of unreleased music of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, according to an affidavit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday.
Strange had been employed at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, Michigan, for a period of fourteen years, but was let go in 2021.
The FBI said it searched Strange’s residence and seized evidence, including hard drives that contained copies of the unreleased music. The agency located several people who purchased the music from Strange, including one “Doja Rat,” who paid $50,000 in Bitcoin for approximately 25 songs. Doja Rat also said that Strange is heavily involved in Bitcoin.
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The illicit leaks and sales came to light in January, when current employees at Eminem’s studio stumbled upon his music being played on online platforms, such as Reddit and YouTube. Recognizing the music as unreleased versions, they reported it to the FBI.
The leaked tracks were played, shared, or sold online without the knowledge or approval of Eminem or the Interscope Capital Labels Group, the rights holder of Eminem’s music, the FBI said. The charges against Strange were brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Price Action: At the time of writing, Bitcoin was exchanging hands at $84,640.90, down 1.67% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
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