Former University of Michigan Offensive Coordinator Matt Weiss plead not guilty last month to a 24 count federal indictment.
“Matt Weiss has been charged with accessing email, social media and cloud storage accounts belonging to thousands of students around the country and downloading intimate photos stored on those accounts,” reports Austin Meek of The Athletic.
Weiss has deep Harbaugh ties as he served as a member of John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens‘ staff from 2009-2020. Weiss then joined current Los Angeles Chargers‘ head coach Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines’ staff for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before being fired in 2023 following an investigation of his computer use.
Both Harbaugh’s have denied any knowledge of such actions.
“It was after the TCU game that we — that I found out, we found out, that there was allegations,” coach Jim Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press. “And you said it, I mean indictment, that’s not a word that — sympathy for the victims and for Matt’s family. It’s shocking.”
“Just really shocking,” his brother John Harbaugh said. “Shocking. Surprising. Didn’t see that one coming. Found out about it the same time everybody else did. Don’t know what to make of it. Just feel really bad for the people involved, that were affected by it. Especially his family and then the people that were victims of that. I love Melissa and the kids. It’s really just a disturbing situation.”
The Troubling Details Of The Indictment
The indictment includes 14 counts of unauthorized computer use along with ten counts of identity theft. If found guilty, each count can carry a potential prison sentence.
“The indictment alleges that between January 2020 and October 2021, Weiss gained access to a third-party database maintained by Keffer Development Services by compromising the accounts of athletic directors and trainers,” wrote Meek. “Prosecutors allege that Weiss downloaded personal information and medical data belonging to more than 150,000 athletes, along with encrypted passwords, then used that information to access personal email and social media accounts.”
The prosecution continues, alleging that Weiss “kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and sexual preferences.”
The prosecution also includes accusations of Weiss accessing and changing the passwords to dozens of email accounts belonging to Michigan alumni, among others.
“Weiss began using open-source records to ascertain personal information of specific athletes such as ‘mother’s maiden name, pets, places of birth and nicknames’,” wrote ESPN’s Dan Wetzel. “That allowed Weiss ‘to obtain access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 targeted athletes by guessing or resetting their passwords,’ according to the indictment.”
Current State Of The Case
As of March 24th, Matt Weiss has plead not guilty on all 24 counts and was released on a $10,000 bond. In addition to turning over his passport, Weiss was forced to allow officials to install internet monitoring software on his computer.
The FBI investigation is still ongoing for the 42-year-old father of three, but ESPN’s Dan Wetzel is warning that the charges could carry up to millions of dollars in fines and dozens of years behind bars.
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