Matthew Weiss, 42, a former co-offensive coordinator for the University of Michigan football team, has been indicted on 24 federal charges, including unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft.
Acting United States Attorney Julie M. Beck announced the indictment, detailing allegations that Weiss illegally accessed student-athlete databases and personal accounts over several years.
According to the indictment, between approximately 2015 and January 2023, Weiss gained unauthorized access to student-athlete databases maintained by a third-party vendor, containing information from over 100 colleges and universities. He then downloaded personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes.
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Further, Weiss allegedly used the obtained information and online research to gain unauthorized access to social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of over 2,000 athletes. He also accessed accounts of more than 1,300 additional students and alumni from universities nationwide.
Once inside these accounts, Weiss downloaded personal and intimate digital photographs and videos that were intended to remain private.
“Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck. “We stand ready with our law enforcement partners to bring those who illegally invade the privacy of others to justice.”
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Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, added, “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.”
If convicted, Weiss faces a maximum of five years in prison for each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years for each count of aggravated identity theft. A conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum two-year sentence, to be served consecutively to any other sentence.
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