Matt Weiss Caught on Security Footage During Michigan Hacking Incident
In a shocking turn of events, former Michigan co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss faces serious allegations of hacking into college students’ personal accounts to steal sexually explicit photos and videos.
Security footage and a detailed FBI search warrant affidavit have unveiled a series of hacking attempts by Weiss, who was Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator during the 2022 season.
This scandal has tarnished Weiss’s reputation and led to his dismissal from the university in 2023.
The case is now at a tense point, with Weiss’s attorneys trying to suppress evidence while prosecutors push to uphold the charges.
The Allegations Against Matt Weiss
Table of Contents
The FBI search warrant affidavit, recently unsealed in Detroit federal court, alleges Matt Weiss was involved in several hacking attempts in December 2022.
The affidavit includes a dozen photos of Weiss, taken during the alleged hacking attempts.
These photos, along with surveillance footage, convinced a federal magistrate judge to authorize a search of 14 electronic devices belonging to Weiss and the University of Michigan.
Details of the Hacking Attempts
According to the affidavit, Weiss accessed athletes’ personal accounts from computers in the quarterbacks and tight ends meeting rooms at Schembechler Hall, Michigan’s practice facility.
The university’s IT staff discovered that passwords for 46 alumni email accounts had been reset in November 2022, tracing these actions to computers at Schembechler Hall.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Weiss resetting nine alumni passwords from his office computer on December 21, 2022.
He’s also accused of trying to hack into a laptop belonging to tight ends coach Grant Newsome on December 25, 2022.
Surveillance footage apparently shows Weiss entering and leaving Newsome’s office at the time of the hacking attempt.
Investigators think Weiss transferred data from the victims’ accounts to an external storage account, trying to get around two-factor protection and passwords.
Legal Proceedings and Defense
The search warrant documents, initially sealed in federal court, were opened after Weiss’s attorneys asked to suppress the evidence gathered from the warrants.
They argued that the warrants were “blatantly unlawful.”
Prosecutors responded with a motion to deny Weiss’s request, saying that no evidence from the University of Michigan Police Department search appeared in the FBI affidavit.
Charges Against Weiss
Weiss faces 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.
The maximum sentence includes five years in prison for each charge of unauthorized access and two years for each count of identity theft.
If he’s sentenced to the maximum, Weiss could face over 70 years in prison.
Book Your Dream Vacation Today
Flights | Hotels | Vacation Rentals | Rental Cars | Experiences
The initial indictment in March alleged that Weiss accessed a third-party database used by more than 100 colleges and universities, obtaining personal information about more than 2,000 athletes and 1,300 other students and alumni.
Defense Arguments
Weiss’s lawyer, David Benowitz, has argued that the prosecution is pursuing an untested legal theory.
He said that if the prosecution’s gambit succeeds, computer hacking that usually leads to probation could suddenly become an offense with a two-year mandatory minimum sentence for each act.
Benowitz insisted that the alleged crime is more like computer trespass, not aggravated identity theft, since no one’s identity was actually stolen, and the crime didn’t enable fraud based on a particular person’s identity.
Impact on Michigan Football Program
The scandal has hit the Michigan football program hard.
Matt Weiss was hired by former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh in February 2021 to coach the Wolverines’ quarterbacks and was later promoted to co-offensive coordinator.
Weiss was fired in 2023 following the allegations.
Sherrone Moore, who was also facing charges for an alleged home invasion of a female Michigan staffer, was let go earlier this month.
Repercussions for the Program
The allegations against Weiss and Moore have cast a shadow over Michigan football, raising tough questions about the integrity and conduct of its coaching staff.
The university has started taking steps to address the situation, but honestly, the damage to its reputation might linger for a while.
Conclusion
The case against Matt Weiss really highlights the serious fallout from snooping into personal information without permission. It’s a sharp wake-up call about keeping ethical standards high, especially in schools and sports programs.
As the legal drama unfolds, the results won’t just affect Weiss. They might set the tone for how future hacking and identity theft cases play out. If you’re curious and want the full story, check out the article on The New York Times.