Former Michigan and Baltimore Ravens coach indicted on 24 federal charges

Matt Weiss, a former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach, faces allegations that he hacked into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes in search of intimate photos and videos, based on an indictment filed this Thursday.

Before being part of Michigan's coaching team in 2021, three years before the Wolverines won the National Championship, Weiss had worked with the Baltimore Ravens.

He stands accused of 14 counts of unauthorized access to a computer and 10 counts of identity theft following the indictment presented in a Detroit federal court.

Weiss's employment with Michigan came to an end in 2023 when he was let go as the team's co-offensive coordinator.

This dismissal was due to his refusal to comply with the school's investigation concerning his alleged improper access to computers.

His attorney Doug Mullkoff did not immediately respond to request for comment through phone and email communications to the Associated Press on Thursday.

According to the indictment which spans over 14 pages, from 2015 up until 2023, Weiss was able to infiltrate the databases of more than 100 college and university systems maintained by Keffer Development Services.

He allegedly downloaded personal and medical information belonging to over 150,000 student-athletes.

The document depicts him as a sophisticated techie, claiming that Weiss "cracked the encryption protecting the passwords, assisted by research that he did on the internet." Subsequently, he is accused of accessing the social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of over 2,000 athletes and more than 1,300 students or alumni from diverse educational institutions across the United States.

The indictment stated, "Weiss primarily targeted female college athletes," adding that "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." According to the indictment, Weiss maintained notes on the photos and videos he downloaded, making comments about the subjects' bodies and sexual preferences, and occasionally revisiting his collection years later to look for new images.

Acting U.S.

Attorney Julie Beck in Detroit emphasized that "Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens," in relation to the charges.

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Following over a decade as an assistant coach with the Ravens, under coach John Harbaugh, Weiss relocated to Michigan to work for Harbaugh's brother, Jim Harbaugh.

It had been publicly known for two years that Weiss was under investigation.

In January 2023, his Ann Arbor residence was searched by police, just before he was fired.

At that time, he stated that he was cooperating and looked "forward to the matter being resolved".

A date for Weiss' initial court appearance on the charges was yet to be determined..

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