Ex-Ravens and Michigan assistant pleads not guilty in computer crimes case, sued by former athletes
Former Michigan and Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Matthew Weiss officially pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday after he was charged with 24 counts of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft.
Weiss allegedly was hacking into accounts of thousands of college athletes and students across the country for years, largely in an effort to view personal and intimate photos and videos. The 42-year-old was released on bond on Monday, according to ESPN’s Dan Wetzel, after his hearing in a Detroit federal court.
A pair of former Michigan athletes also filed a lawsuit against both Weiss and the university, among others, on Friday. As they are just a few of the potentially thousands of athletes involved in the scandal, the two asked the court to grant class-action status for their lawsuit, according to the Detroit Free Press. The students are seeking a judgement of more than $100 million.
"The regents and the university recklessly exposed plaintiffs to a dangerous predator, Weiss, knowing he could cause serious damage by sexually harassing female students, and also by violating their rights to privacy," the lawsuit states.
Weiss allegedly started hacking into the accounts in 2015, when he was an assistant with the Ravens. He was then hired as Michigan’s quarterback coach in 2021. The Wolverines were led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh.
Weiss was fired in January 2023 for alleged computer access crimes, which the FBI launched an investigation into. Then earlier this month, Weiss was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, Weiss targeted female athletes while he was working at Michigan and “researched and targeted these women based on their school affiliation, athletic history and physical characteristics.” He allegedly kept notes about physical appearances and characteristics of the women, and he downloaded the passwords they used for their accounts through a third-party vendor. Weiss also allegedly researched personal information of the women so he could guess or reset their passwords.
Weiss was also accused of repeatedly accessing accounts months or years after he first gained access to look for new photos and videos.
He was placed on leave in December 2022 after he was first accused of illegal activities at the team’s football facility. He was then fired a month later after he didn’t attend a meeting with school officials about the allegations.
Weiss, according to ESPN, is facing up to five years and a $250,000 fine for each of the 14 counts of unauthorized access, and an additional two years on the 10 other charges.
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Ex-Ravens and Michigan assistant charged with accessing thousands of college athletes' 'intimate digital photographs and videos'
Matt Weiss was fired in January 2023 after he was accused of computer crimes while at Michigan's football facility.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Former Ravens assistant charged with hacking for athletes’ intimate photos
Former NFL and Michigan assistant Matt Weiss charged Weiss worked for Ravens before joining Michigan in 2021 Former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach Matt Weiss hacked into ...The Guardian - 5d -
Two former Michigan athletes allege intimate images were stolen by ex-football coach
Former University of Michigan assistant football coach Matt Weiss pleaded not guilty to federal charges Monday as two women filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were victims of a scheme to ...NBC News - 1d -
Former NFL coach pleads not guilty over alleged hacking of athletes’ intimate photos
Matt Weiss worked for Ravens before joining Michigan Women file additional lawsuit over alleged hack A judge entered a not guilty plea Monday for a former Baltimore Ravens and University of ...The Guardian - 1d -
Ex-U-M assistant charged with computer hacking
A former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach hacked into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes seeking intimate photos and videos, according to an indictment ...ESPN - 4d -
NFL has no comment about Matt Weiss
When Matt Weiss allegedly embarked on his effort to secure "unauthorized access to student-athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities," he was working for the Baltimore Ravens.Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Feds indict ex-Michigan assistant Matt Weiss for hacking private accounts to steal 'intimate, personal' photos
Weiss was indicted on 24 total counts and is alleged to have downloaded information of over 150,000 student athletesCBS Sports - 5d -
Former U-M coach pleads not guilty in cyber case
Also Monday, Weiss and the University of Michigan were hit with a civil suit by women whose accounts he allegedly hacked.ESPN - 21h -
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A former NFL and college football coach was charged in a 24-count indictment with accessing the digital accounts of 3,300 students to download their intimate photos and videos.NBC News - 5d
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