North Carolina man who used AI for music streaming fraud sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Michael Smith, who pleaded guilty earlier this year, was also ordered to pay over $8 million. According to the DOJ, that’s the amount he earned in royalties from using bots to stream hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs from 2017 to 2024.
TL;DR
- Michael Smith sentenced to 18 months in prison for music streaming fraud.
- Ordered to pay over $8 million in restitution.
- Scheme involved using bots to stream AI-generated songs from 2017 to 2024.
- The $8 million represents royalties earned from the fraudulent activity.