FBI Arrests Eminem’s Former Sound Engineer Over $50,000 Bitcoin Sale of Leaked Music

Former Eminem Employee Charged Over Bitcoin Sale of Unreleased Music

A former sound engineer for Eminem has been charged with leaking and selling the rapper’s unreleased songs online in exchange for Bitcoin, according to U.S. federal prosecutors.

Joseph Strange, 46, allegedly profited from Eminem’s vault of unreleased tracks, violating strict agreements that protected the artist’s work.

Secret Sale of Eminem’s Music for $50,000 in Bitcoin

Authorities say Strange, who worked at Eminem’s recording studio in Ferndale, Michigan, from 2007 until he lost his job in 2021, accessed secured hard drives containing decades’ worth of unreleased material.

He allegedly sold 25 unfinished tracks, recorded between 1999 and 2018, to "Doja Rat," a 31-year-old Canadian who claimed to have raised $50,000 in Bitcoin from Eminem fans to buy the songs.

According to an FBI affidavit, the sale was arranged in online chats, where Strange also claimed to possess over 300 more unreleased songs and original handwritten lyric sheets by Eminem.

Buyers reportedly believed they were gaining access to exclusive material never intended for public release.

FBI Uncovers Hard Drives and Rare Eminem Memorabilia

The investigation began in January 2025 when Eminem’s team noticed his unreleased songs circulating online on platforms like Reddit and YouTube.

Realising the material originated from the studio’s highly secured storage, they alerted the FBI.

During a raid on Strange’s home, federal agents found Eminem’s original handwritten lyric sheets stored in a safe, along with a VHS tape of an unreleased music video.

An image of this tape had reportedly been sent to Doja Rat and another potential buyer in Connecticut.

Court documents reveal that Strange was among only four employees with access to the locked-down hard drives at the studio.

However, after his employment ended, he was legally barred from sharing or distributing Eminem’s work.

Eminem’s Team Condemns Betrayal by Trusted Employee

Eminem’s spokesperson expressed deep disappointment over the leak, stating,

“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.”

The FBI has charged Strange with criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for copyright infringement, along with a possible 10-year sentence for transporting stolen goods across state lines.

His lawyer, Wade Fink, has since spoken out, saying,

“Mr. Strange is a family man and dedicated professional who will seek justice and fairness in the courtroom.”