Man Pleads Guilty to Beyoncé Music Theft, Sentenced to Two Years
Kelvin Evans, 40, pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and vehicle entry with intent to steal after taking hard drives with unreleased Beyoncé music in July 2025. He received a two-year prison sentence, avoiding a jury trial.
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May 12, 2026 9:46am PT
Man Accused of Stealing Beyoncé Unreleased Music Pleads Guilty in Theft Case, Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
By Steven J. Horowitz
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Steven J. Horowitz
Senior Music Writer
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The man accused of stealing hard drives that contained unreleased Beyoncé music in July 2025 pleaded guilty on Tuesday to avoid a jury trial.
Kelvin Evans, 40, entered a guilty plea to single counts of criminal trespass and entering a vehicle with the intent to commit theft in Fulton County Superior Court, according Fox 5 Atlanta . He was handed a sentence of five years that includes two years in prison and the rest on probation, and was also ordered to stay away from the victims and the location of the theft.
During Tuesday’s plea hearing, prosecutors described surveillance video that showed Evans allegedly driving in an Atlanta parking garage and parking next to a vehicle from which the hard drives were stolen. They also said that Evans looked into the car, removed black suitcases, and later carried them into a building connected to his sister.
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Prosecutors claim that the suitcases were “never seen again” and that in an interview, Evans referred to himself as the “king thief of Atlanta.” At one point, Evans’ niece told police that she received an iPhone and several chargers that were among the items stolen, which prosecutors confirmed were reported as stolen.
Evans had previously rejected a plea agreement that would have handed him five years in prison.
The theft took place in July 2025, when Beyoncé’s choreographer and one of her dancers reported that thieves had stolen jump drives containing unreleased music, footage plans for her live show and previous and upcoming set lists from their rental vehicle. An arrest warrant was issued for the suspect on July 14, and investigators arrested Evans the following month.
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_Originally reported by [Variety Music](https://variety.com/2026/music/news/man-pleads-guilty-beyonce-music-theft-case-two-years-prison-1236745986/)._
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