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Former Michigan Wolverines co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss has been indicted on 24 federal charges stemming from an extensive hacking scheme that targeted thousands of college students and athletes across the country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced the charges Thursday, which include 14 counts of unauthorized computer access and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.
Weiss, who previously served on NFL coach John Harbaugh’s staff with the Baltimore Ravens and later joined his brother Jim Harbaugh at Michigan in 2021, is accused of illegally accessing personal and private data for nearly a decade.
According to the 14-page indictment, Weiss hacked into a third-party database maintained by Keffer Development Services between 2015 and 2023. The database held sensitive medical and personal data for student-athletes from more than 100 colleges and universities. Prosecutors allege the former Michigan football coach used the information obtained from this system — including decrypted passwords — to infiltrate the email, social media, and cloud storage accounts of more than 3,300 individuals.
Disgraced former Michigan coach charged on Thursday
His targets included over 2,000 current or former college athletes, and more than 1,300 students or alumni. The indictment details how Weiss, described as a “computer whiz,” cracked encryption protections using publicly available internet resources and performed open-source research to assist his attacks.
Federal officials say the former coach primarily targeted female athletes, selecting individuals based on school affiliation, athletic history, and physical attributes. Once inside their accounts, Weiss allegedly downloaded private, intimate digital photos and videos “never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners.”
The indictment further claims that Weiss kept detailed notes on the media he accessed, including comments about the women’s appearances and sexual preferences. Prosecutors say he returned to accounts months or even years later to search for updated or additional content.
Julie Beck, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, emphasized the severity of the case in a statement: “Our office will move aggressively to prosecute computer hacking to protect the private accounts of our citizens.”
The FBI’s Detroit Cyber Task Force, in collaboration with the University of Michigan Police Department, led the investigation. “This indictment underscores the commitment and meticulous investigative efforts of our law enforcement professionals,” said FBI Special Agent Cheyvoryea Gibson.
Weiss was placed under investigation in early 2023 after suspicious computer activity was discovered at Michigan’s football facility, Schembechler Hall. He was fired later that January for failing to cooperate with the university’s internal probe. At this time, Weiss has not made a public statement and his attorney, Doug Mullkoff, has not responded to media inquiries.
If convicted, Weiss faces up to five years in prison for each unauthorized access charge and an additional two years for each count of identity theft — a total of potentially over 100 years behind bars. His initial court appearance has yet to be scheduled.
