Former Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss has been indicted on 24 counts related to unauthorized computer access and identity theft, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The charges stem from allegations that Weiss accessed personal data and accounts of thousands of students across the country. Julie A. Beck, the acting U.S. Attorney, stated that the indictment details Weiss’s actions between 2015 and 2023, where he gained access to a third-party database used by over 100 colleges and universities. He allegedly used this access to hack email, social media, and cloud storage accounts belonging to more than 2,000 athletes, 1,300 students, and university alumni.
Weiss is facing 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of unauthorized access and two years for each count of identity theft.
“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 in a statement. “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 was fired from his position as Michigan’s offensive coordinator in January 2023, following reports of suspicious computer activity at Schembechler Hall, the university’s football facility. His alleged activities span his time as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens and his tenure at Michigan. Weiss was a graduate assistant under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and worked for the Ravens from 2009 to 2020 before returning to work with Harbaugh at Michigan. He coached quarterbacks in 2021 and was then promoted to co-offensive coordinator before the 2022 season.
The indictment alleges that between January 2020 and October 2021, Weiss accessed a third-party database maintained by Keffer Development Services by compromising the accounts of athletic directors and trainers. Prosecutors claim that Weiss downloaded personal information and medical data belonging to more than 150,000 athletes, along with encrypted passwords, and used that information to access personal email and social media accounts.
Prosecutors allege that Weiss used information leaked in data breaches and through open-source research to compromise passwords. The indictment details that Weiss “kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and sexual preferences.”
The indictment also includes allegations that Weiss illegally accessed servers belonging to the University of Michigan and its email providers. Federal prosecutors report that Weiss reset the passwords of over 40 email accounts belonging to the University of Michigan alumni, then accessed more than 25 of them. Furthermore, Weiss is charged with accessing accounts of more than five students at Westmont College in California between October 2022 and January 2023.
An attorney representing Weiss did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
