A federal judge has denied a motion by former Michigan co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss to have 10 aggravated identity theft counts against him dismissed.
Weiss, 42, was indicted in March for allegedly stealing private videos and photos of more than 3,300 student-athletes -- mostly women -- from over 100 universities across the country. Federal documents allege that Weiss hacked into the accounts to view and download personal or intimate photographs and videos and took notes commenting on the students' bodies and sexual preferences.
His attorneys tried to argue that Weiss using stolen passwords is like using a stolen key to unlock a door and doesn't equate to aggravated identity thefts. But U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds disagreed.
"The fact that using a house key is not identity theft only reflects that the statute was not written to cover house keys -- it does not show that using another person's login credentials without permission cannot be part of an identity-theft crime," Edmunds wrote in her ruling.
The 10 aggravated identity theft counts carry the most federal prison time if Weiss is convicted. He also faces 14 counts of unauthorized access and is being sued in a separate case by more than 70 women who claim that he illegally hacked into their private accounts and stole their personal photos.
Weiss was fired by Michigan in January 2023, after spending the previous two seasons on Jim Harbaugh's staff as an assistant. The former co-offensive coordinator's alleged crimes also date back to his time with the Baltimore Ravens, where he coached for more than a decade.
Weiss faces more than 70 years in prison if convicted.