Holly man who worked at Eminem's Ferndale studio pleads guilty to selling unreleased music

A Holly man who worked for Eminem from about 2007 to 2021 has pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement for selling the rapper's unreleased music, federal officials said, according to reports Thursday from WDIV and Patch.

Joseph Strange, 48, entered the plea in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, WDIV reported. He faces up to five years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27, 2027.

What prosecutors say

Strange worked for Marshall Mathers, known as Eminem, from 2007 to 2021 at the artist's studio in Ferndale, where he helped set up and run the computer system that stored the music, according to the reports.

Prosecutors say he copied at least 10 unreleased audio files from password-protected hard drives at the studio without permission. Between July and August 2024, they say, he sold and sent the files to others online for about $50,000.

The music later leaked and turned up on several streaming platforms. Investigators say streaming data showed the files had been accessed more than 8 million times as of November 2025, and they estimate the value of the infringement at no less than $750,000, WDIV reported. Some of the material had gone through professional preparation for possible release, including studio mastering, though a commercial release was neither imminent nor certain, according to prosecutors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said Strange "abused a position of trust," Patch reported.

The original charges

When Strange was charged in March 2025, WDIV reported that he faced counts of criminal copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, and that employees at the Ferndale studio had contacted the FBI in January 2025. The plea reports mention only the copyright count. Neither report named the judge.

Sources: WDIV/ClickOnDetroit (Oct. 22, 2026, and March 19, 2025); Patch (Oct. 22, 2026).