AI streaming scam mastermind cops a plea that could lock him up for years while costing him millions.
Michael Smith's guilty plea
Michael Smith admits conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Cornelius, North Carolina, man faces up to five years in prison.
He agrees to forfeit over eight million dollars.
Sentencing set for July twenty-nine in New York.
Fraud scheme breakdown
Smith pumped out thousands of AI-generated fake tracks.
Bots streamed his songs billions of times across platforms.
Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music are targeted.
Operation peaked at over six hundred thousand daily streams.
Royalties theft impact
Fraudulent payouts exceeded eight million dollars total.
Real artists lost millions in diverted...