DETROIT — An Oakland County man accused of selling some of Eminem's unreleased music pleaded guilty Thursday to leaking copies of the superstar's rap tracks.

Holly resident Joseph Strange, 48, who worked for Eminem from 2007-2021, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Brandy McMillion to one count of criminal copyright infringement, a crime punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for Jan. 27.

In exchange for admitting he leaked at least 10 copies of at least one track between July 2024 and January 2025, prosecutors have agreed to drop a more serious charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods, a 10-year felony.

The court hearing came 19 months after Strange was initially charged with a crime. Prosecutors alleged Strange stole computer hard drives from Marshall Mathers' Ferndale music studio that contained unreleased music created by the rap star and sold it on the Internet.

"Joe Strange is a good man whose children have suffered greatly in all of this," his lawyer, Wade Fink, said in a statement to The Detroit News. "... The actual facts of this case bear little resemblance to the comments made to the public. It is a far more complicated and nuanced matter than a man just unabashedly stealing.

"Nevertheless, my client has taken accountability for what he has done, has tremendous remorse for what has happened to his family, and has great faith, as do I, in the judges of our district to see this case for what it is," Fink added.

Mathers' lawyer, Walter Piszczatowski, declined comment.

"As we stated at the outset of this case, the significant damage caused by Joe Strange cannot be overstated," Dennis Dennehy, a longtime spokesman for Eminem, said in a statement in September. "Strange was trusted to protect Eminem's artistic output, and while it's satisfying to see him held accountable for his criminal conduct, we hope he will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

"The levels of lying, deception and criminality undertaken by this man over the course of years are unfathomable, unforgettable and both legally and morally reprehensible," Dennehy added.

While working for Eminem, Strange helped set up and operate a computer system that managed and stored the superstar’s music.

Strange also had access to password-protected hard drives filled with music being developed by Eminem.

“Strange held a position of trust that significantly contributed to his commission of the offense,” his plea agreement reads. “The music and material contained on them was intended to remain confidential until when and if Mathers decided to release it to the public.”

On or about Jan. 16, 2025, a member of Mathers' staff contacted FBI agents in Detroit to report that they found unreleased music the rapper created was available online, court records said. Employees told agents they recognized the music and a list of songs as items on a hard drive taken from the Ferndale studio.

Investigators identified and located multiple individuals who bought the unreleased music, court documents said. Agents spoke with the buyers, who told them Joseph Strange sold them the music.

“Our republic is built on the right to property,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. “We will protect that right by punishing criminals who steal the physical or intellectual property of Americans.”

One of the buyers, an Ontario resident, told investigators he sent Strange an estimated $50,000 worth of Bitcoin payments over about six months, according to the federal complaint.

The audio files ultimately have been accessed as many as 9 million times.

“…a reasonable estimate of the infringement value of the stolen files is approximately $1 million,” according to the plea deal.

On Jan. 28, 2025, agents executed a search warrant at Strange's Holly home and recovered evidence, including the allegedly stolen hard drives that contained copies of the unreleased music sold online as well as handwritten notes/lyric sheets Mathers created, the complaint said.

“Detroit has always been a city where creativity thrives, and no one has the right to steal or profit from another artist’s work without their permission,” Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office, said in a statement.

Fink took issue with the government's comments.

"I respect and admire our local federal prosecutors, including our U.S. Attorney, who work to protect us all. I take exception, though, to the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.’s press release," Fink said. "This hyperbolic, self-congratulatory statement on behalf of a famous complainant have had a terrible impact on my client and his family. Whether D.C.’s justice department pursues fraud and abuse should not depend on the victim’s fame or wealth."

Separately, Eminem's music publisher has filed suit against multinational tech company Meta, alleging the Detroit rapper's songs are used on Meta's social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, without proper licensing.

Eight Mile Style LLC said Meta has created and stored copies of Eminem's songs on their servers and distributed them to billions of users around the world in violation of copyright law. The publisher said the rapper's songs have been utilized by social media users in millions of videos that have collectively been viewed billions of times.

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