NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Authorities in New York and London say a 19-year-old man from England hacked world-famous recording artists so he could steal their music to sell for cryptocurrency.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has accused the unnamed man of “accessing world-famous recording artists’ websites and cloud-based accounts illegally, stealing unreleased songs, and selling the stolen music in exchange for cryptocurrency.”
The man was arrested in Ipswich, north of London, on suspicion of copyright and computer misuse act crimes.
Authorities say they identified “one of the perpetrators” after receiving referrals from the recording artists’ management companies. The music artists hit by the hack were not named in a press release released by prosecutors Friday.
Detective Inspector Nick Court, from the City of London Police, said hackers have been stealing music from the artists’ websites to sell on illegal streaming websites worldwide.
“New York City is dedicated to protecting artists’ intellectual property and ensuring that those who steal it face the music,” Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance said.