# Michael Smith sentenced to 18 months for AI streaming fraud

> Michael Smith gets 18 months in prison after AI song and bot streaming fraud stole $8 million from artists.
- Title: Michael Smith sentenced to 18 months for AI streaming fraud
- Summary: Michael Smith gets 18 months in prison after AI song and bot streaming fraud stole $8 million from artists. Michael Smith was sentenced to 18 months in…
- Keywords: michael smith, ai song, bot streaming, streaming fraud, us attorney, federal court, royalties, spotify, apple music, amazon music, youtube music, streaming integrity initiative
- Source: Music Business Worldwide — https://musicbusinessworldwide.com/man-behind-8m-ai-song-and-bot-streaming-fraud-is-sentenced-to-18-months-in-prison
- Published: 2026-10-07T07:29:53+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: michael smith, ai song, bot streaming, streaming fraud, us attorney, federal court, royalties, spotify, apple music, amazon music, youtube music, streaming integrity initiative
## Smith sentenced to 18 months
Michael Smith received an 18-month prison sentence for a streaming fraud scheme that prosecutors say generated over eight million dollars in royalties.
## Smith pleaded guilty in March
Smith, 54, of Cornelius, North Carolina, pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
## IFPI statement on fraud
Global recorded music trade body IFPI said the sentence sends a clear message that streaming fraud is a crime with serious consequences.
## Fraud scheme details
Between 2017 and 2024 Smith used thousands of fake accounts on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music to stream hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs billions of times.
## Taylor Swift example
Taylor Swift 's entire catalog received 9.3 million family-plan streams on YouTube Music in April 2023, while Smith 's bot accounts used family plans to stream his AI-generated music 80.9 million times in the same month.
## Forfeiture order
Judge Koeltl ordered Smith to forfeit eight million ninety-one thousand eight hundred forty-three dollars and sixty-four cents, the loss figure agreed by both sides.
## Prosecutors sought 46 months
Prosecutors had asked for at least 46 months, the low end of the 46 -to- 57 -month range set by federal sentencing guidelines.
## US Probation Office recommended 24 months
The US Probation Office had recommended 24 months for Smith's sentence.
## First criminal prosecution
Prosecutors and the defense have both described the case as the first criminal prosecution of its kind in the US .
## MFFA letter to court
The Music Fights Fraud Alliance ( MFFA ) argued that the sentence will serve as the first real signal to the public regarding the legal consequences of streaming fraud.
## US Attorney's statement
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said Smith exploited super intelligence technology to generate fraud by flooding platforms with automated bots and fake songs.
## Smith's lawyer claim
Smith has argued that a music industry lawyer told him his conduct would lead to civil penalties at worst.
## Prosecutors' counterclaim
Prosecutors cast doubt on that claim, saying they believe the lawyer emailed The Mechanical Licensing Collective in March 2023 insisting none of Smith's works were computer-generated.
## Smith's defense letter
Smith's lawyers claim the government does not dispute that streaming manipulation has been rampant across industry and no recording artist suffered appreciable loss.
## Key takeaway

Michael Smith was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a streaming fraud scheme that stole over $8 million in royalties from artists.