Thief jailed after stealing unreleased Beyoncé music from car
May 14, 2026 08:43 am
A man who broke into a car and stole hard drives containing unreleased music by Beyoncé has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Kelvin Evans, 41, pleaded guilty to charges including entering an automobile and criminal trespass last year in Atlanta, Georgia. A judge sentenced him to an additional three years of probation.
Apparently at random, Evans broke into a Jeep Wagoneer rented by a choreographer and dancer for Beyoncé on 8 July 2025, as the singer’s Cowboy Carter tour was coming to Atlanta.
The two returned to find the vehicle’s rear window smashed and their luggage gone. Investigators have not recovered the hard drives or other stolen items.
Evans struck a plea deal in court on Tuesday ahead of his trial this week, according to court documents filed in Fulton County Superior Court.
The records, obtained by the BBC, indicate that Evans was a repeat offender.
His lawyer told the judge his client was “hoping for a future where he can make money legitimately and be part of society like the rest of us”, according to the BBC’s US media partner CBS News.
Jury selection in the case began on Monday and prosecutors showed surveillance footage of a red Hyundai driven by Evans, pulling up next to the rental car in a parking garage.
Another surveillance video showed the same red Hyundai arriving at an apartment block, with Evans handling suitcases believed to belong to Beyoncé choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue.
Grant and Blue had told police that the items stolen from their rental car included two MacBook laptops, Apple headphones, luxury clothing and accessories, and hard drives that investigators said contained unreleased Beyoncé material.
Grant also told authorities he was carrying “personal sensitive information” belonging to Beyoncé.
Prosecutors said the stolen laptops had tracking technology that placed the items at the address seen in the second video.
As part of his sentence, Evans has been ordered to stay away from the victims as well as the car park where the theft took place.
He has been in jail since his arrest in August last year. He was indicted by a grand jury in October and originally pleaded not guilty to charges in January.
He rejected a similar plea deal in March, according to CBS.
The break-in happened just before Beyoncé launched the four-night leg of her Cowboy Carter tour at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Source: BBC
--Agencies
