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FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist (arstechnica.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I am just impressed by the idea and execution. Just wow. Too bad he took it too far.

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Definitely an abuse of the system, but I'm struggling to see where criminal law says you can't make a bunch of fake accounts to listen to garbage music.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

In agreeing to be paid by music streaming platforms they almost certainly agreed not to do exactly this. Which makes it fraud.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Sounds like a breach of contract, which is a civil matter.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

I think that depends on intent and amount of money involved, but I'm definitely not a lawyer.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Its also cyber crime which is possibly why the FBI need to be involved

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Fraud is pretty broad and covers most things that deliberately misrepresent reality to take money from someone else.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Yet advertising and billionaires exist. It's not what you do, it's what clique you're part of.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

From justice.gov:

SMITH, 52, of Cornelius, North Carolina, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

This is a ridiculous law, it might as well be called "money fraud". Justice is a bad joke.