Eminem Rep Makes Rare Statement After Ex-Employee Is Charged with Leaking Unreleased Music: Damage 'Cannot Be Overstated'

A man who worked for Eminem for 14 years has been charged in Michigan in connection with the leaking of more than 25 of the rapper’s unreleased songs.

Joseph Strange, who worked at the star’s studio, was charged with criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods in connection with the sale of unreleased music created by the rap star on Wednesday, March 19, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan announced in a press release.

So far, more than 25 songs have been played or distributed on internet sites like Reddit and YouTube without the consent of Eminem, 52, or his label, according to a criminal complaint, which was obtained by PEOPLE. The songs were created between 1999 and 2018, and were in various stages of development.

“Eminem and his team are very appreciative of the efforts by the FBI Detroit bureau for its thorough investigation which led to the charges against Joe Strange,” a longtime publicist for the star tells PEOPLE. “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.”

Strange, 46, worked at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, Mich. from 2007 to 2021, when he was “let go” by the “Lose Yourself” rapper (né Marshall Mathers), according to the complaint. The studio is not open to the public, and Strange was one of just four employees who had access to hard drives containing the unreleased songs during his tenure.

“We will handle the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district,” Strange’s attorney, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told the Associated Press. He added that the charges against Strange are “untested allegations” not yet vetted by a grand jury or judge.

Employees at Eminem’s studio first contacted the FBI in January, saying they’d recently discovered that unreleased music “still in the process of being developed” by the star was available on the internet, per the complaint.

“The employees also obtained an image of a list of the music that Mathers had created, but not released, and was for sale through various internet sites,” the complaint said. “The employees recognized this as an image taken directly from a hard drive in the Ferndale studio. The music in question could only have been taken by someone with direct physical access to a secure location in the studio.”

The FBI tracked down multiple people who had bought the unreleased music, and those people identified Strange as the one allegedly selling the music, according to the complaint.

Strange’s house in Holly, Mich. was searched by the FBI on Jan. 28, and authorities seized evidence including “hard drives containing copies of the unreleased music that was made available on the internet and handwritten notes/lyric sheets created by Mathers,” as well as a VHS tape containing an unreleased music video. 

Authorities also obtained financial records that they claim documented payment to Strange for the music he’d allegedly sold.

The complaint says that once Eminem realized someone was publishing his music without authority, he reached out to his business associate Fred Nasser, who issued a public statement to fans asking them not to listen.

A British fan then reached out to Nasser and tipped him off to an internet user named Doja Rat, who claimed to have bought the songs from a man named Joseph Strange for $50,000. Doja Rat alleged that Strange needed the money to fund a recent surgery, per the complaint.

If convicted of criminal infringement, Strange faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of interstate transportation of stolen goods, he faces up to 10 years in prison, per the press release.

“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck said in a statement.