Former Michigan co-OC Matt Weiss charged with aggravated identity theft

Former Michigan co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss has been charged with aggravated identity theft and unauthorized computer access by the United States Department of Justice.

Former Michigan quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator has been charged by the United States Department of Justice in a 24-count indictment including 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.

Key findings, per the press release

• “Between approximately 2015 and January 2023, Weiss gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor.”
• “Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes. Using the information that he obtained from the student-athlete databases and his own internet research, Weiss was able to obtain access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 target athletes.”
• “Weiss also illegally obtained access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 1,300 additional students and/or alumni from universities across the country. Once Weiss obtained access to these accounts, he downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners.”

If convicted, Weiss faces a maximum of five years imprisonment on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft.

Per WXYZ Detroit, the criminal complaint says that Weiss “primarily targeted female college athletes. 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 share beyond intimate partners.”

While Weiss is innocent until proven guilty, these allegations are deeply disturbing. The timeline of Weiss’ alleged illegal conduct began long before he served on Michigan’s staff in 2021 and 2022. Weiss was put on leave at Michigan in January of 2023 concerning an investigation into computer access crimes and then subsequently fired just days later. Weiss failed to attend a meeting to discuss whether he had gained access to computer accounts belonging to other people.