Latest news with #MegaVictimCaseAssistanceProgram
Fox News
09-04-2025
- Fox News
Justice Department uncovers thousands of 'intimate' photos and videos during ex-Michigan coach hacking probe
The Justice Department's investigation into Matt Weiss, the former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan assistant football coach accused of hacking into the personal accounts of more than 2,000 college athletes, uncovered that the ex-coach stole thousands of "candid and intimate" photos and videos. The revelation came during a court filing in a lawsuit against Weiss and the university after lawyers representing the victims in this case shared an email from the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program. "Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant's electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts," the email read, via The Associated Press. "Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts." The filing came weeks after Weiss pleaded not guilty to a 24-count federal indictment. The charges were announced last month — more than two years after Weiss, 42, was fired from his coaching position under Harbaugh after an investigation into the alleged crimes. According to the indictment, Weiss "gained unauthorized access to student athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities that were maintained by a third-party vendor." He then allegedly downloaded personal information and data of more than 150,000 athletes and, from there, was able to access the information of more than 2,000 athletes, including access to their social media, email and cloud storage. Weiss predominantly targeted women, prosecutors said. Weiss spent more than a decade coaching in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens in various roles before he left following the 2020 season to coach under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation into the alleged crimes. Weiss is accused of committing the alleged crimes from 2015 to January 2023. Weiss is facing 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. He is facing a maximum of five years imprisonment for each of the unauthorized access charges and up to two years for each count of identity theft. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
CBS News
09-04-2025
- CBS News
Thousands of intimate photos seized in hacking investigation of former Michigan football coach Matt Weiss
Thousands of personal photos have been seized from former University of Michigan quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss, who is accused of hacking into online accounts belonging to thousands of student-athletes, according to court documents. Attorneys representing some of the student-athletes filed a motion on Tuesday requesting the court to expedite the collection of evidence in the case. They are seeking all domain names registered to Weiss and websites where the victims' photos may have been profiled. They are also seeking information on employees of the software company Keffer Keffer Development Services who worked with U of M and how Weiss allegedly gained unauthorized access to the photos. "The focus now must be to determine quickly the extent of the harm and what needs to be done to stop further harm. Plaintiffs need to learn what exactly is known about their personal information that has been compromised," according to the motion. "Plaintiffs need details about what is known and unknown, how electronic intrusions and extractions occurred, and what harm has already happened." Weiss, who served on Michigan's football coaching staff in 2021 and 2022, was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. He entered a not guilty plea. He was fired in January 2023 amid an investigation by university police into possible computer-access crimes at a football building. In the last month, two lawsuits have been filed by victims who accused Weiss of hacking into several accounts, including social media, email, cloud storage, and downloading intimate photos and videos between 2015 and 2023. The lawsuits also alleged that the university and Keffer Development Services failed to monitor Weiss' activity. Attorneys say more than 150,000 athletes across the country were impacted, with more than 3,000 of them at the University of Michigan. "We are committed to protecting all individuals affected by this breach and demanding accountability from both Matthew Weiss and the University of Michigan," said attorney Parker Stinar with the Stinar Gould Greico and Hensley law firm. "The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated, and we will continue to fight for the victims who deserve justice." Court documents included an email from the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program (MCAP) that was sent to a victim. The email stated that investigators uncovered images and videos on Weiss' electronic devices and cloud storage, some of which showed some victims "engaged in explicit sexual acts." Other documents included a letter from U of M to victims stating that officials discovered a "threat actor manipulated a flaw in self-service password recovery to change your password and gain access to your U-M Google account." "The University of Michigan continues to fail and betray their current and former female athletes by not notifying them that a University of Michigan 'flaw' in their computer network led to their information being compromised," Stinar said in a statement. "Young current or former female student-athletes across the country have had their personal and intimate information stolen, and they deserve to know immediately what was compromised so they can take the appropriate steps to protect themselves and secure their identities." Prior to U of M, Weiss was on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff from 2009 to 2020. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Thousands of intimate images found in hacking investigation of former NFL and Michigan coach
DETROIT (AP) — Investigators have seized thousands of intimate photos and videos from a former Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan assistant football coach who is charged with hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes, the U.S. Justice Department told victims. The disclosure came in a court filing Tuesday in a lawsuit against Matt Weiss and the university. Lawyers for victims included an email that was sent by the government after he was indicted in March. Weiss got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., in an effort to find private images, primarily of women, according to the indictment. The email further describes and quantifies what was found by investigators. "Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant's electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts. Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts,' the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program said. Weiss has pleaded not guilty to identity theft and unauthorized computer access, from 2015 to 2023. He and his lawyer have refused to comment about the case. Near the end of the alleged scheme, Weiss was Michigan's co-offensive coordinator in 2022 when the Wolverines finished 13-1 and played in the College Football Playoff. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. He had earlier spent more than a decade with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Weiss' boss at Michigan, called the allegations 'shocking.' His brother, John Harbaugh, coach of the Ravens, used the same word when talking to reporters at the NFL's annual spring meeting. Parker Stinar, a lawyer who has filed one of many lawsuits against Weiss, the university and an outside technology vendor, wants a judge to order them to start turning over evidence of what happened. The university has not commented on the lawsuits and has weeks to formally respond in federal court.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- The Independent
Thousands of intimate images found in hacking investigation of former NFL and Michigan coach
Investigators have seized thousands of intimate photos and videos from a former Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan assistant football coach who is charged with hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes, the U.S. Justice Department told victims. The disclosure came in a court filing Tuesday in a lawsuit against Matt Weiss and the university. Lawyers for victims included an email that was sent by the government after he was indicted in March. Weiss got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., in an effort to find private images, primarily of women, according to the indictment. The email further describes and quantifies what was found by investigators. "Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant's electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts. Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts,' the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program said. Weiss has pleaded not guilty to identity theft and unauthorized computer access, from 2015 to 2023. He and his lawyer have refused to comment about the case. Near the end of the alleged scheme, Weiss was Michigan's co-offensive coordinator in 2022 when the Wolverines finished 13-1 and played in the College Football Playoff. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. He had earlier spent more than a decade with the NFL 's Baltimore Ravens. Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Weiss' boss at Michigan, called the allegations 'shocking.' His brother, John Harbaugh, coach of the Ravens, used the same word when talking to reporters at the NFL's annual spring meeting. Parker Stinar, a lawyer who has filed one of many lawsuits against Weiss, the university and an outside technology vendor, wants a judge to order them to start turning over evidence of what happened. The university has not commented on the lawsuits and has weeks to formally respond in federal court.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Associated Press
Thousands of intimate images found in hacking investigation of former NFL and Michigan coach
DETROIT (AP) — Investigators have seized thousands of intimate photos and videos from a former Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan assistant football coach who is charged with hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes, the U.S. Justice Department told victims. The disclosure came in a court filing Tuesday in a lawsuit against Matt Weiss and the university. Lawyers for victims included an email that was sent by the government after he was indicted in March. Weiss got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., in an effort to find private images, primarily of women, according to the indictment. The email further describes and quantifies what was found by investigators. 'Thousands of candid, intimate photographs and videos have been seized from the defendant's electronic devices and from his cloud storage accounts. Many show victims naked. Some show victims engaged in explicit sexual acts,' the Justice Department's Mega Victim Case Assistance Program said. Weiss has pleaded not guilty to identity theft and unauthorized computer access, from 2015 to 2023. He and his lawyer have refused to comment about the case. Near the end of the alleged scheme, Weiss was Michigan's co-offensive coordinator in 2022 when the Wolverines finished 13-1 and played in the College Football Playoff. He was fired in 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. He had earlier spent more than a decade with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Weiss' boss at Michigan, called the allegations 'shocking.' His brother, John Harbaugh, coach of the Ravens, used the same word when talking to reporters at the NFL's annual spring meeting. Parker Stinar, a lawyer who has filed one of many lawsuits against Weiss, the university and an outside technology vendor, wants a judge to order them to start turning over evidence of what happened. The university has not commented on the lawsuits and has weeks to formally respond in federal court.
