# AI Music Scammer Asks for No Prison Time

> Streaming fraudster Michael Smith wants probation for $8M scam, claiming no artist suffered real harm.
- Title: AI Music Scammer Asks for No Prison Time · Billboard
- Summary: Streaming fraudster Michael Smith wants probation for $8M scam, claiming no artist suffered real harm. Michael Smith, who stole $8 million via AI-generated…
- Keywords: michael smith, ai music, streaming fraud, wire fraud, spotify, amazon music, apple music, youtube music, boomy, alex mitchell, umg, sony
- Source: Billboard — https://billboard.com/pro/ai-scammer-wants-no-prison-for-8m-streaming-fraud-scheme
- Author: Bill Donahue
- Published: 2026-09-24T16:10:41+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michael smith, ai music, streaming fraud, wire fraud, spotify, amazon music, apple music, youtube music, boomy, alex mitchell, umg, sony
## Smith Pled Guilty to Streaming Fraud
Michael Smith, 54, admitted to using ai music to steal millions in royalties through bots streaming billions of times.

> the effect each individual stream of one artist’s song has on every other artist’s share of total streams is not akin to a drop in a proverbial bucket, it is a drop in an ocean
## Federal Officials Recommend 2 Years in Prison
U.s. attorneys recommended two years for smith’s wire fraud conspiracy over ai-generated song streams.

> no individual artist or songwriter suffered any perceptible harm from mr. smith’s conduct
## Smith’s Lawyers Argue for Probation
Smith’s lawyers claim his crime caused only tiny, immeasurable losses across millions of songwriters.

> he did not set out to commit a crime; he thought he found a way to game a corrupt system
## AI Music Fraud Systemic Problem
Smith’s lawyers say streaming fraud is a systemic issue in the digital royalty system, not just his actions.

> streaming fraud is … a systemic problem rooted in the structure of the digital royalty system itself
## Smith’s Background and Arrest
Smith was arrested in 2024 for using bots to stream ai songs on spotify, amazon music, apple music, and youtube music since 2017.

> he knew that he was cheating the system
## Boomy AI Firm Involved
Alex Mitchell, founder of boomy ai, was listed as a co-writer on hundreds of songs registered to smith but has not been charged.

> he consistently represented himself as legitimate
## Smith Agrees to Forfeit $8M
Smith forfeited over $8 million in streaming fraud proceeds after pledging to share proceeds with an ai music company.

> although the songs and listeners were fake, the millions of dollars smith stole was real
## Key takeaway

Michael Smith, who stole $8 million via AI-generated music streams, argues his crime caused negligible harm to individual artists.