A Scottsdale man has pleaded not guilty to taking part in what federal prosecutors say was a conspiracy to steal more than $20 million in music royalties.
Jose Teran faces dozens of counts of alleged identity theft, money laundering and wire fraud in a case involving Spanish-language songs.
Court records say Teran and a Dominican co-defendant spent money they illegally made on a Phoenix home, jewelry, Tesla and BMW vehicles.
The indictment alleges they used a Maryvale-based company to falsely claim to own legal rights to more than 50,000 songs.
A contract got signed, the library of songs were uploaded to the internet, and prosecutors say Teran’s firm got nearly $21 million in royalty payments in about four years.
Teran and his co-defendant allegedly shared no money with any of the top-earning artists whose work they claimed to own.
