FBI arrests American singer for using bot streams to fraudulently generate $10 million in royalties, sparking major industry controversy.
Michael Smith, an American singer, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Intelligence for allegedly earning $10 million in royalties from Bot streams.
The allegation against him was that he employed deceitful tactics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and bots to illegally stream songs billions of times.
Three allegations have been brought against Michael Smith, specifically wire fraud charges and conspiracies related to both wire fraud and money laundering.
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In a news release, the Justice Department clarified that a conviction for any of these offenses could result in up to 20 years behind bars.
According to allegations, Michael Smith illicitly broadcasted songs made using artificial intelligence and caused billions of streams in order to pocket the resulting royalties.
Damian Williams, who holds the position of U.S. Attorney according to the statement, expressed that Smith’s bold fraudulent plan led him to pilfer millions in royalties which rightfully belonged to other rights holders whose songs have been genuinely streamed.
Smith’s time to face the music has arrived, all thanks to the FBI and this Office’s dedicated career prosecutors.
