Man Who Stole Beyonce's Hard Drives Gets Five-Year Sentence (theguardian.com) 30
A man accused of stealing hard drives containing unreleased Beyonce music, tour plans, and other materials from a rental car in Atlanta has pleaded guilty and accepted a five-year sentence, including two years in custody. Slashdot Bruce66423 shares a report from The Guardian: Kelvin Evans was by the Atlanta police department in September in connection to a July 2025 car robbery where two suitcases containing Beyonce music and tour plans were stolen from a rental car. [...] According to a July police report, Beyonce choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue called 911 to report a theft from their rental vehicle, a 2024 Jeep Wagoneer, before Beyonce's Cowboy Carter tour dates in Atlanta. An October indictment stated that Evans entered the car on July 8 "with the intent to commit theft."
The stolen hard drives contained "watermarked music, some unreleased music, footage plans for the show and past and future set list," according to a police report. Clothing, designer sunglasses, laptops and AirPods headphones were also stolen, Grant and Blue said. Local law enforcement searched for the location of one of the stolen laptops and the AirPods to try and locate the property. One police officer wrote in the report: "I conducted a suspicious stop in the area, due to the information that was relayed to me. There were several cars in the area also that the AirPods were pinging to in that area also. After further investigation, a silver [redacted], which had traveled into zone 5 was moving at the same time as the tracking on the AirPods."
Evans was arrested several weeks after Grant and Blue filed a report, and was publicly named as the suspect in September. He was released on a $20,000 bond a month later. At the time of his arrest, Atlanta police said that the stolen property had not been recovered. It is unclear whether it has since been found. Bruce66423 commented: "Just for stealing a couple of suitcases from a car. Funny how the elite punish those who inconvenience them. Can you imagine an ordinary victim see their offender get that sort of sentence?"
The stolen hard drives contained "watermarked music, some unreleased music, footage plans for the show and past and future set list," according to a police report. Clothing, designer sunglasses, laptops and AirPods headphones were also stolen, Grant and Blue said. Local law enforcement searched for the location of one of the stolen laptops and the AirPods to try and locate the property. One police officer wrote in the report: "I conducted a suspicious stop in the area, due to the information that was relayed to me. There were several cars in the area also that the AirPods were pinging to in that area also. After further investigation, a silver [redacted], which had traveled into zone 5 was moving at the same time as the tracking on the AirPods."
Evans was arrested several weeks after Grant and Blue filed a report, and was publicly named as the suspect in September. He was released on a $20,000 bond a month later. At the time of his arrest, Atlanta police said that the stolen property had not been recovered. It is unclear whether it has since been found. Bruce66423 commented: "Just for stealing a couple of suitcases from a car. Funny how the elite punish those who inconvenience them. Can you imagine an ordinary victim see their offender get that sort of sentence?"
Got off lightly (Score:2)
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in Georgia, felony theft can result in up to 20 years prison.
Felony theft from The U.S. Capital (and/or beating a police officer) during an Insurrection - pardon.
"Just for stealing a couple of suitcases" (Score:2)
Bruce66423 commented: "Just for stealing a couple of suitcases from a car. Funny how the elite punish those who inconvenience them. Can you imagine an ordinary victim see their offender get that sort of sentence?"
I would hope so. Why shouldn't you do time for theft?
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Does that apply to classified documents?
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Bruce66423 commented: "Just for stealing a couple of suitcases from a car. Funny how the elite punish those who inconvenience them. Can you imagine an ordinary victim see their offender get that sort of sentence?"
I would hope so. Why shouldn't you do time for theft?
He got off with a very light sentence. Kelvin Evans has lengthy criminal record, near two dozen arrests with a half dozen trips to jail.
And he was on parole when he stole Beyonce's stuff.
My belief is that Beyonce didn't want the hassel of being involved with a trial and giving depositions and so on, so her lawyers were looking to just be rid of him and let the prosecution know that.
Bruce66423 is delusional (Score:3)
No they didn't have a couple of suitcases stolen. They had incredibly valuable IP stolen that if leaked could have caused very significant material loss to a commercial enterprise. I don't particularly give a shit if this happens to Beyonce, she's got plenty of money, but the reality is just because Bruce66423 doesn't have anything valuable in his suitcases doesn't mean that someone else's suitcases are just "a couple of suitcases".
And given that the stolen materials weren't recovered it is quite probable that the person also profited from sale of commercial trade secrets. 5 years is getting off lightly for that.
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Is there any evidence that this chap knew what was in the suitcases?
It may have been a simple opportunistic theft by someone hoping to find something of value in random luggage. And when he discovered that he hadn't boosted a laptop or some other easily-fenced item, the stuff may have simply been dumped in a nearby alley or dumpster.
Is there any evidence either way?
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The point, which you seem to have missed, is that there's no evidence that this was a targeted theft of extremely valuable intellectual property, rather than a simple theft of luggage, which probably happens several hundred times every day at airports throughout the country.
The relevant question could be posed this way:
If I steal a random box that I see on the street, should I be sentenced more harshly if the box contains the Hope Diamond versus a package of bubble gum?
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Realistically though, that guy would have tossed the hard drives in a dumpster and pawned the laptops and airpods. The only loss would come from the value of that data to her (assuming it's not backed up somewhere).
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How is it crazy? The monetary value of the materials stolen doesn't change based on your awareness of what you stole. Ignorance is not a defense.
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What's the retail value of unreleased (and watermarked?) music though? It shouldn't be just whatever she says it's worth. And by the way, Beyonce going that hard on a down-on-his-luck case like him feels out of character from what little I know of her.
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Justice for some.... (Score:2, Informative)
When my car gets broken into the cops shrug. Once I was told I can fill out a report but it's "not going to be a priority"
Seems the rich and famous get a different justice system on both ends.
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Leads, yeah, sure. I'll just check with the boys down at the crime lab, they've got four more detectives working on the case. They got us working in shifts!
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That's because for the most part, insurance will cover the loss. So filing the report is merely a formality for the insurance company to pay you out.
And chances are, the dollar value of what was stolen wasn't enough to put much manpower into it. You aren't going to do more than accept the report if the most valuable thing stolen was a $1000 laptop. How much effort and cost are you willin
Who Cares (Score:3, Insightful)
Beyonce, and "her" music, is overrated. Also not at all relevant or interesting news for this site.
I don't think he's ready, for this jelly (Score:2)
Not his first time (Score:5, Informative)
Kelvin Evans has lengthy criminal record, near two dozen arrests and was on parole when he stole Beyonce's stuff.
"Ordinary victim" (Score:2)
An "ordinary victim"'s suitcases wouldn't be as valuable, frankly.
The entitlement is real (Score:2)