News Summary

• Michael Smith used artificial intelligence to create thousands of fake songs by invented artists.
• He then unleashed an army of bot accounts to stream the tracks billions of times and siphon millions from royalty pools.
• Prosecutors said Smith pocketed more than $8 million in unearned royalties overall.
• Smith accepted a deal from prosecutors in March, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $8,091,843.64 in forfeiture.