# Botter Sentenced To Prison In First Criminal Streaming Fraud Case

> Mike Smith gets 18 months prison for AI-generated music fraud.
- Title: Botter Sentenced To Prison In First Criminal Streaming Fraud…
- Summary: Mike Smith gets 18 months prison for AI-generated music fraud. Mike Smith, a 54-year-old North Carolina singer-songwriter, was sentenced to 18 months in…
- Keywords: mike smith, ai generated songs, streaming fraud, bot accounts, us justice dept, north carolina, taylor swift, music, culture, Botter, Sentenced, Prison
- Source: Stereogum — https://stereogum.com/2513827/botter-sentenced-to-prison-in-first-criminal-streaming-fraud-case-will-return-8m-in-slop-royalties/news
- Published: 2026-10-07T14:12:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mike smith, ai generated songs, streaming fraud, bot accounts, us justice dept, north carolina, taylor swift, music, culture
## Mike Smith
Mike Smith, a 54-year-old North Carolina singer-songwriter, pleaded guilty to defrauding streaming services with AI-generated tracks and bot accounts.
## Prison Sentence
Smith received an 18-month prison term for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after seven years of collecting $8 million in fake royalties.
## Forfeiture Order
Smith must pay $8,091,843.64 in forfeiture and serve two years of supervised release after streaming 80.9 million AI songs on YouTube Music in April 2023.
## Key takeaway

Mike Smith, a 54-year-old North Carolina singer-songwriter, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding streaming services with AI-generated songs and bot accounts.