Former Michigan assistant coach Matt Weiss is now facing charges in a 24-count indictment with accessing the digital accounts of over 3,300 college students, for the purposes of downloading intimate photos and videos.
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According to the the Eastern District of Michigan U.S. Attorney's Office, 42-year-old Weiss, faces 14 counts of 'unauthorized access to computers' and 10 counts of 'aggravated identity theft.'
Back in January 2023, Weiss was fired from his co-offensive coordinator position at the University of Michigan as news came out that he gained unauthorized access to other people's accounts.
According to the recent indictment, it all was an elaborate scheme, as Weiss used a database managed by a third party, which had information on student-athletes from more than 100 colleges and universities across America.
"After gaining access to these databases, Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information (PII) and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes," the indictment stated.
He targeted accounts that had appeared to be leaked in data breaches.
"Weiss either reset or guessed the passwords of 2,000 students, the indictment says. It alleges he targeted the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of female student-athletes." (per NBC news).
The indictment further stated, "Once he obtained access to the accounts of targeted athletes, Weiss searched for and downloaded personal, intimate photographs and videos that were not publicly shared."
Then Weiss, "kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos that he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and their sexual preferences."Ultimately, if convicted he will face a minimum of at least 20 years for charges relating to the computer crimes.
U.S. attorney Julie Beck told The Associated Press, "Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens."
Weiss is a former college football player at Vanderbilt (2001-2003), who went on to coach at Stanford after his playing career was over. Notably, he has coached for John Harbaugh during his 12-year tenure on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff, before then being hired by Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
Related: Investigation Reveals Michigan Staffer as Potential Sign-Stealer
