Matt Weiss, former Michigan coach, charged with ID theft, hacking to access students' private photos
Former University of Michigan quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss is facing 24 cybercrime charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The charges come more than two years after Weiss was fired in January 2023 amid an investigation by university police into possible computer-access crimes at a football building.
Weiss, 42, is charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.
Officials allege that between 2015 and January 2023, Weiss hacked student-athlete databases of more than 100 colleges that were held by a third-party vendor. Once he gained access to the databases, Weiss allegedly downloaded "personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes."
Weiss is accused of primarily targeting female student-athletes.
According to criminal records, Weiss "researched and targeted these women based on their school affiliation, athletic history, and physical characteristics. His goal was to obtain private photographs and videos never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners."
Through the information that he obtained from the databases and his research, Weiss allegedly gained access to email and social media accounts as well as cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 student-athletes. He's also accused of illegally obtaining the same information of more than 1,300 additional students and alumni from colleges across the U.S.
After obtaining access to the accounts, Weiss reportedly downloaded personal and intimate pictures and videos that were not meant to be shared publicly, officials say.
"Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens," said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck in a news release. "We stand ready with our law enforcement partners to bring those who illegally invade the privacy of others to justice."
If convicted, Weiss faces up to five years in prison on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft. Weiss faces a mandatory two-year sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.
"Today's indictment of Matthew Weiss underscores the commitment and meticulous investigative efforts of our law enforcement professionals," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "The FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force, in close collaboration with the University of Michigan Police Department, worked relentlessly on this case to safeguard and protect our community."
Weiss served as Michigan's quarterbacks coach in 2021 and as their co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2022 season. Before his time in Ann Arbor, Weiss was on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff from 2009-2020.
CBS News Detroit has reached out to the University of Michigan for comment and is waiting to hear back.
