SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — A Scottsdale man is facing several federal charges after he allegedly profited off of songs he did not have the right to monetize.
Jose Teran, 36, was indicted earlier this month on charges of wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering after he and Webster Batista, 38, allegedly collected over $20 million in music royalties.
The defendants allegedly used the identities of others to collect royalties on over 50,000 songs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona.
Through their company, MediaMuv, Teran, and Batista allegedly signed contracts with third-party companies that falsely represented them as having legal claims to the songs they were monetizing.
Teran and Batista allegedly did not pay anything to the artists or their representatives, whose music generated royalties that the defendants collected.
If convicted, the defendants could face several years in prison.
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