Shocking Charges: Former Michigan Coach Matt Weiss Accused of Hacking and Identity Theft
In a startling turn of events, former University of Michigan quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator, Matt Weiss, is now facing a staggering 24 cybercrime charges, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This legal storm has been brewing since January 2023 when Weiss was dismissed from his coaching position amid an investigation by university police into potential computer-access crimes linked to the football program.
At 42 years old, Weiss is hit with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. The allegations suggest that between 2015 and January 2023, Weiss engaged in a systematic hacking spree, targeting student-athlete databases from over 100 colleges, all managed by a third-party vendor. Once he infiltrated these databases, Weiss allegedly downloaded sensitive personal information and medical data belonging to more than 150,000 athletes.
What’s particularly alarming is that Weiss is accused of primarily focusing on female student-athletes. According to criminal records, he meticulously "researched and targeted these women based on their school affiliation, athletic history, and physical characteristics." His ultimate aim? To obtain private photographs and videos that were never meant for public consumption, but rather intended for intimate partners.
Using the information he harvested from the databases, Weiss reportedly gained unauthorized access to the email and social media accounts, as well as cloud storage accounts, of over 2,000 student-athletes. Additionally, he is accused of illegally acquiring the same sensitive information from more than 1,300 other students and alumni from various colleges across the United States.
Once he had access to these accounts, Weiss allegedly downloaded personal and intimate pictures and videos that were never intended for public viewing, according to officials.
Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, "Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens. We stand ready with our law enforcement partners to bring those who illegally invade the privacy of others to justice."
If found guilty, Weiss could face up to five years in prison for each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years for each count of aggravated identity theft. Notably, a conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence.
Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, remarked, "Today's indictment of Matthew Weiss underscores the commitment and meticulous investigative efforts of our law enforcement professionals. 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's coaching career at Michigan included serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2021 and as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2022 season. Prior to his tenure in Ann Arbor, he was part of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff from 2009 to 2020.
As the situation unfolds, CBS News Detroit has reached out to the University of Michigan for comments and is currently awaiting a response.
Joe Buczek, who manages digital content and promotion at CBS Detroit, has a rich background in journalism, having previously worked at various media outlets including WWTV, the Grand Traverse Insider, the Leader and the Kalkaskian, the Oakland Press, and the Morning Sun.
