Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Beyoncé's Unreleased Music

Kelvin Evan pleaded guilty on Tuesday to multiple charges related to the theft of unreleased music from Beyoncé before her Atlanta show. The incident occurred when Evan broke into a rental SUV just two days prior to the Atlanta stop of the Cowboy Carter tour, stealing a flash drive that contained music not yet released to the public.

Initially, Evan had pleaded not guilty and rejected an earlier plea offer in March. However, prosecutors noted that the vehicle break-in occurred in an area under close surveillance.

Facing a potential six-year prison sentence, Evan accepted a reduced two-year sentence. This incident took place against the backdrop of ongoing issues with global music piracy, which has reportedly cost the creative industry $75 billion annually and resulted in the loss of approximately 70,000 jobs in the U.S. alone.