Federal prosecutors in the United States have intensified their legal battle against a former University of Michigan football coach, submitting what they claim is photographic evidence in a major hacking and identity theft case.
New Evidence and Serious Allegations
The case centres on Matt Weiss, a former Wolverines assistant coach. In March, he was charged with 24 counts, including computer hacking and identity theft. Prosecutors allege he stole thousands of private, intimate images from student athletes, predominantly women, at more than 100 universities across the nation. Weiss has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
Recently, Weiss's legal team pushed for some charges to be dismissed. However, the Justice Department is fighting this motion. As part of their argument, they have now submitted photographs that allegedly show Weiss moments before he hacked into University of Michigan computers in December 2022. He was fired weeks later, just before Michigan's Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas Christian.
A Pattern of Targeted Cyber Intrusion
The 14-page indictment paints a disturbing picture of systematic cybercrime. It states Weiss, portrayed as a computer expert, gained access to databases for over 100 colleges maintained by a third-party vendor, Keffer Development Services. From these, he allegedly downloaded personal information and medical data belonging to more than 150,000 athletes.
According to court documents, Weiss then cracked encryption to access the social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of over 2,000 athletes and 1,300 other students or alumni. The indictment is clear about his focus: 'Weiss primarily targeted female college athletes,' it states, adding he researched them based on school, athletic history, and physical characteristics to obtain private media.
The documents allege he kept detailed notes on the photos and videos he downloaded, commenting on the subjects' bodies and sexual preferences, and would sometimes return years later to search for new images.
Turmoil Within the Michigan Programme
This scandal is one of several to hit the Michigan football programme recently. The team, under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh, won a national championship the following season amidst a separate sign-stealing controversy. Harbaugh left for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore promoted to head coach.
Moore's tenure was short-lived. He was fired earlier this month in Ann Arbor for an allegedly inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The married father of three has since been charged with breaking and entering, home invasion, and stalking for allegedly entering a woman's apartment and terrorising her after his dismissal.
The Wolverines, now led by interim coach Biff Poggi with a 9-3 record, are set to face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, the legal process continues for Weiss, who could face up to five years in prison if convicted on all counts. Acting U.S. Attorney in Detroit, Julie Beck, emphasised: 'Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens.'
