Former Michigan coach Matthew Weiss fights identity theft charges in stolen photos case

The former NFL and college football coach accused of stealing the private, intimate images of student-athletes is fighting to have some of the charges dropped, alleging that federal prosecutors are trying to "turbocharge" a hacking case.

The former NFL and college football coach accused of stealing the private, intimate images of student-athletes is fighting to have some of the charges dropped, alleging that federal prosecutors are trying to "turbocharge" a hacking case.

An attorney for the former coach, Matthew Weiss, moved to dismiss 10 charges of aggravated identity theft in a motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. A federal grand jury indicted Weiss in March on 24 charges — 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Weiss was hired at the University of Michigan in 2021 after 12 seasons as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He was terminated in January 2023 after allegations emerged that he gained unauthorized access to other people’s computer accounts.

He is accused of accessing personal identifying information about student-athletes from more than 100 colleges and universities across the country. Federal prosecutors alleged that he used that information to access digital accounts to download intimate photos and videos.