Ex-Michigan Assistant Coach Matt Weiss Allegedly Hacked Thousands of Athletes’ Accounts for Intimate Photos

A former University of Michigan co-offensive football coordinator allegedly hacked thousands of student athletes’ personal information to access their intimate photos, according to a federal indictment.

Matthew Weiss, 42, of Ann Arbor was charged in a 24-count indictment alleging 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said on Thursday, March 20.

“Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens,” Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck said in a press release. “We stand ready with our law enforcement partners to bring those who illegally invade the privacy of others to justice.” 

Weiss, who also previously worked for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, is accused of illegally gaining access to databases containing the personal information of over 100 colleges and universities from 2015 to January 2023,

The records were maintained by a third-party vendor, according to the press release. 

“Today’s indictment of Matthew Weiss underscores the commitment and meticulous investigative efforts of our law enforcement professionals,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said Thursday. 

Gibson added, “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 could face a maximum of five years in prison on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft if he is convicted of hacking. 

If convicted on any count of aggravated identity theft, the former football coach faces a two-year mandatory minimum sentence, which would be served consecutive to the sentence imposed for the underlying offense, per the press release.

“Weiss primarily targeted female college athletes,” the 14-page indictment, obtained by the Associated Press, alleges.

“He 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.” 

“Months — and in some cases years — after [Weiss] gained access to certain accounts, he returned to those accounts searching for additional photos and videos,” the indictment alleges, per Detroit News.

“Weiss kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos that he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and their sexual preferences,” the indictment alleges. 

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Weiss was fired on Jan. 20, 2023, with the University of Michigan alleging that the former employee “inappropriately accessed the computer accounts of other individuals,” according to the outlet.

His case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Wyse and Patrick Corbett, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI.

An attorney for Weiss could not immediately be reached for comment.