Eminem is at the heart of a legal battle as former employee Joseph Strange faces federal charges for allegedly stealing and selling unreleased tracks from the rapper’s private collection.
Strange, a 46-year-old former audio engineer, worked at Eminem’s Effigy recording studio in Ferndale, Michigan, from 2007 until 2021, per WWNY TV.
He faces serious federal charges, including criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Authorities allege Strange swiped more than two dozen unreleased Eminem songs spanning nearly two decades, from 1999 through 2018.
The stolen tracks were reportedly stored securely on password-protected hard drives in a locked studio safe.
Federal prosecutors claim Strange secretly sold the unreleased material for around $50,000 worth of Bitcoin. Among the buyers was a Canadian individual using the online alias “Doja Rat,” who later leaked the songs publicly on platforms like Reddit and YouTube in January 2025.
The theft came to light when Effigy studio employees recognized Eminem’s unreleased tracks circulating online and promptly alerted the FBI.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Strange’s residence, uncovering thousands of audio files, handwritten lyric sheets, and even an unreleased Eminem music video.
If convicted on all charges, Strange could face up to 15 years behind bars—five years for copyright infringement and an additional 10 years for interstate transportation of stolen goods.
Eminem’s camp was quick to condemn the alleged betrayal. His spokesperson, Dennis Dennehy, told Variety, “The significant damage caused by a trusted employee to Eminem’s artistic legacy and creative integrity cannot be overstated, let alone the enormous financial losses incurred by the many creators and collaborators that deserve protection for their decades of work. We will continue to take any and all steps necessary to protect Eminem’s art and will stop at nothing to do so.”