Beyoncé unreleased music theft case: Man pleads guilty after stealing hard drives containing singer’s songs

A man accused of stealing hard drives containing unreleased Beyoncé music has officially pleaded guilty in the high-profile theft case that shocked the music industry last year.

Kelvin Evans accepted a plea deal in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on May 12, avoiding a full trial. According to reports, Evans pleaded guilty to charges connected to breaking into a vehicle and stealing material linked to Beyoncé’s team.

The court sentenced Evans to five years, with two years to be served in prison and the remaining three on probation.

What was stolen?

The theft dates back to July 2025, when Beyoncé’s choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue reported that their rental vehicle had been broken into in Atlanta, just before the singer’s Cowboy Carter tour stop in the city.

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According to police reports, the stolen items included hard drives containing unreleased and watermarked Beyoncé music, footage plans for upcoming shows, future and past setlists, laptops, designer clothing and other sensitive tour material.

Grant reportedly informed authorities at the time that he was carrying “personal sensitive information” belonging to Beyoncé.

The unreleased music is still missing

One of the most alarming details in the case is that many of the stolen materials have reportedly still not been recovered.

Investigators had used tracking data from devices including laptops and AirPods to identify Evans as a suspect months after the theft. Surveillance footage from the parking area also reportedly linked him to the crime.

Interestingly, Evans had initially pleaded not guilty and had even rejected an earlier plea deal in March 2026 before eventually changing his plea this week, shortly after the trial began.

A major security scare for Beyoncé’s team

The incident had sparked widespread concern within the music industry because of the sheer amount of unreleased content allegedly stored on the stolen drives. Fans had speculated online for months about whether the files included material connected to Beyoncé’s rumoured future projects or unreleased Cowboy Carter recordings.

Despite the controversy surrounding the theft, Beyoncé continued her massively successful Cowboy Carter tour, which reportedly grossed over $400 million globally.

Neither Beyoncé nor her representatives have publicly commented in detail on the latest plea deal.