Guns N' Roses Song Leaker 'Has Charges Reduced'

Kevin Cogill, the man accused of leaking nine songs by Guns N’ Roses on the Internet, has had his charges downgraded, according to US media reports.

The 27-year-old, who was arrested by the FBI in August, will now face a charge of misdemeanor rather than felony.

Cogill's attorney, David Kaloyanides, is quoted as saying that prosecutors "decided that a misdemeanor was more appropriate." The charge carries a maximum jail term of one year.

Prosecutors maintain that the blogger, who removed the tracks shortly after posting them in June, could have caused a "significant" profit loss for the band.

On the original charge, Cogill could have faced three years in prison if convicted, and five years if the court had come to the conclusion that he posted the songs for commercial benefit.

'Chinese Democracy'

As previously reported on Gigwise, Guns N' Roses new album 'Chinese Democracy' will be released on November 23rd in the US.

The album, which has been nearly fourteen years in the making and is reported to have cost frontman Axl Rose $2million, is only available in Best Buy stores.

Drinks company Dr Pepper has promised each American citizen a free drink after the band matched their challenge to release the album before 2009.

The album is out in the UK on November 24th. Click HERE to see the tracklisting.

CLICK HERE to see what Guns N' Roses missed during the foureen years it took to make the album.