A former employee of Marshall Mathers — aka entertainer Eminem — is named in a federal criminal complaint for allegedly stealing and selling some of his unreleased music.

Joseph Strange, 46, of Holly is charged with two counts of criminal infringement of a copyright and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

According to the criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Michigan, the FBI launched an investigation in January after employees of Mathers’ music studio in Ferndale reported finding a list of Mathers’ unreleased music — still in development — available for puchase on the Internet. The list was reportedly taken directly from a hard drive in Mathers’ Ferndale studio.

FBI tracked down multiple people who had bought the unreleased music who identified Strange as the seller, the complaint states. Strange reportedly worked for Mathers from approximately 2007 through 2021.

“This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ intellectual  property from exploitation by individuals seeking to profit illegally,” Cheyvoryea Gibson,  special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, stated in a news release. “Thanks to the cooperation of Mathers Music Studio, FBI agents from the Oakland County Resident Agency were able to swiftly enforce federal laws and ensure Joseph Strange was held accountable for his actions.”

If convicted of the copyright infringement charge, Strange could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The interstate transportation of stolen goods charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison/

“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 stated in the release.

The case is being investigated by special agents of the FBI Oakland County Resident Agency, and prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Timothy Wyse and Alyse Wu.

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A 47-year-old Clarkston man is facing charges for allegedly having “tens of thousands” of child pornography images — including some involving animals, officials said.

The complaint against Benjamin Guy Weeks, issued March 18 in 52-2 District Court, lists charges of three counts each of aggravated child sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit a crime.

According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, law enforcement confiscated approximately 35 hard drives, multiple thumb drives, CDs and computer devices from Weeks’ home containing tens of thousands of files showing child sexual abuse, including bestiality.

It’s believed Weeks was attempting to create a computer server to manage and share the files, the prosecutor’s office said.

“The scale of depravity uncovered in this case is shocking,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. “Behind every one of these images and videos is a child who was the victim of unspeakable abuse. I’m committed to aggressively prosecuting child pornography cases so we can protect the next child from becoming a victim.”

The court file shows the alleged crimes dating back to 2023. Jeff Wattrick, spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, told The Oakland Press that the casa wasn’t turned over to the Oakland County prosecutor until this month and that the prosecutor’s office “moved quickly to file charges and authorize an arrest.”

Aggravated child sexually abusive activity is punishable by up to 25 years in prison and/or a $125,000 fine. Using a computer to commit a crime carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine, possibly as a consecutive sentence, the prosecutor’s office said.

Arraignment is pending.

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A Lake Orion was handed a lengthy prison sentence Tuesday for a fatal hit-and-run last year in Auburn Hills.

At a hearing in Oakland County Circuit Court, Judge Yasmine Poles sentenced 35-year-old Kenneth Briddnell Carroll to 25-60 years for the June 6, 2024 crash that killed Thomas Jerome Fisher, 68. The collision happened on Walton Boulevard near Perry Street in Auburn Hills, and also caused critical injuries to Carroll’s passenger.

According to police, Carroll fled after crashing a Kia Forte into a Ford F-150 pickup truck, trapping Fisher in the Ford F-150. Fisher was subsequently extricated and transported to an area hospital where he died, police said.

Moments before the crash, an Auburn Hills patrol officer had pursued the Kia after witnessing it speeding south on Lapeer Road and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver — later identified as Carroll — accelerated and fled, reportedly reaching speeds up to 88 mph. The officer reportedly chased the Kia for approximately a quarter mile before ending the pursuit. Further down the roadway, the officer discovered the collision, police said.

Carroll was arrested after a citizen reported seeing him in a wooded area approximately a half-mile from the crash site, police said. When he was arrested, Carroll was in possession of a controlled substance, police said.

In January, Carroll pleaded no contest to reckless driving causing death, reckless driving causing serious impairment of bodily function, fleeing and eluding, failing to stop after the crash, driving without a valid license and narcotics possession. For the drug charge, he was sentenced to the 284 days he already served in the Oakland County Jail. The jail credit was also applied to his sentence on the other charges.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases.

Carroll got an enhanced sentence due to him being a habitual offender. His criminal history includes convictions for aggravated domestic violence and probation violation.

Fisher’s obituary states he was the father of two, an accomplished musician and “a successful and premier interior painter” with his own business. He grew up in Birmingham.

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A 24-year-old Pontiac man is in police custody, accused of stabbing a woman multiple times Monday night allegedly because she had worn his clothing.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, deputies spoke to the woman at an area hospital’s emergency department where she had gone for treatment of multiple stab wounds. The woman, a 25-year-old Pontiac resident, reportedly told deputies she had been stabbed during a fight over her wearing the suspect’s clothes.

Based on further information from the woman and a witness who reportedly had driven the woman to the hospital, deputies went to a residence in the 100 block of Cherry Hill Drive in North Hills Farms housing complex to confront the suspect, the sheriff’s office said.

As stated in the deputies’ report: “Initially, the suspect refused to answer the door, but after continued announcements of law enforcement presence and a secure perimeter being set, the individual ultimately surrendered to deputies without further incident. Another male was located inside of the home and taken into custody as well for investigative follow up.”

Charges are pending for the suspect, who’s held in the Oakland County Jail.

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The Pontiac woman facing felonies for allegedly abandoning her three children to live in a filth-ridden home for years has been charged with additional crimes.

As announced Tuesday by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, three counts of welfare fraud are filed against Kelli Bryant, in addition to the three charges of first-degree child abuse filed against her last month.

Bryant, 34, is accused of collecting $29,397 from January 2022 through February 2025 in support payments by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services while the children were living alone. It’s alleged Bryant abandoned the children in 2020 or 2021.

The prosecutor’s office said a review of Bryant’s MDHHS payments showed the overpayment, leading to the charges.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said the alleged fraud indicates Bryant stole from her children.

“The defendant appears to have effectively abandoned her children while collecting their public assistance,” McDonald stated in a news release. “This crime is, first and foremost, a theft from Kelli Bryant’s children. These resources were intended to ensure they had the basic necessities denied to them. The children deserved better.”

Welfare fraud more than $500 is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. For the first-degree child abuse charges, Bryant faces up to life in prison if convicted.

The case against Bryant unfolded in February after deputies were called to a residence on Lydia Lane in the Stonegate Pointe townhomes for a welfare check and found Bryant’s children, a 15-year-old boy and his sisters, ages 13 and 12, hiding inside. The townhome was filled with large piles of garbage, mold and human waste throughout, had an overflowing toilet and a feces-filled bathtub, officials said. It was described as “uninhabitable.”

When rescued, the girls were covered in feces, and all three children had matted hair and toenails several inches long making it difficult to walk, officials said.

Bryant had reportedly been arranging for food to be dropped off at the home each week, but toilet paper, soap and hygiene products were never provided, officials said. The children, who’ve since been placed with relatives, hadn’t gone to school for years.

Bryant is held in the Oakland County Jail, with bond set at $50,000 — recently reduced from the $250 million bond set at her Feb. 20 arraignment for the child abuse charges.

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