# Man sentenced to prison after pocketing $8 million from AI songs

> Man sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing $8 million in AI song royalties.
- Title: Man sentenced to prison after pocketing $8 million from AI…
- Summary: Man sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing $8 million in AI song royalties. A North Carolina man received 18 months in prison for pocketing $8.09…
- Keywords: michael smith, spotify, ai songs, bot accounts, federal judge, wire fraud, royalties, north carolina, spotify bots, music business, gaming, sports
- Source: Dexerto — https://dexerto.com/entertainment/man-sentenced-to-prison-after-pocketing-8-million-from-ai-songs-streamed-by-bots-3416335
- Author: Cande Maldonado
- Published: 2026-10-07T15:20:48+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michael smith, spotify, ai songs, bot accounts, federal judge, wire fraud, royalties, north carolina, spotify bots, music business, gaming, sports
## Man sentenced to prison after pocketing $8 million from AI songs
A North Carolina man siphoned millions in royalties from Spotify and its rivals with songs no human wrote, played to listeners who never existed.
## Judge sentences fraudster to 18 months in prison
Judge John G. Koeltl sentenced Michael Smith, 54, to 18 months in prison on October 6, along with two years of supervised release and an $8,091,843.64 forfeiture.
## Smith ran 10,000 bot accounts using AI songs
Smith ran as many as 10,000 bot accounts at once, propped up by fake emails and fraudulently obtained debit cards.
## Bots streamed AI songs for 80.9 million plays
In April 2023 alone, his bots masqueraded as family-plan subscribers on YouTube Music for 80.9 million streams, while Taylor Swift’s entire catalogue pulled 9.3 million on the same plans.
## Key takeaway

A North Carolina man received 18 months in prison for pocketing $8.09 million in royalties from AI-generated songs streamed by bots.