Michigan
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.
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.
Weiss accessed more than 3,000 accounts, mostly targeting female student-athletes, federal prosecutors said in the indictment from March.
This week’s motion by his attorney, David Benowitz, said the government’s allegations did not substantiate aggravated identity theft charges.
“Hacking is hacking, not identity theft,” the motion said.
In the motion, Benowitz notes that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act criminalizes unauthorized digital access to computers as a misdemeanor. That can be enhanced into a felony if it is used in furtherance of another crime.
Benowitz’s motion says the allegations, if proven true, do not meet the aggravated identity theft enhancement.
The motion says that the allegations are a case of “digital trespassing” and that the means of identification were used to unlock a metaphorical door rather than to engage in deceit.
“A physical key is a unique means of identification that only the homeowner is supposed to have,” the motion said. “But even so, inserting the key and unlocking the door does not steal the homeowner’s identity.”
The motion accused the government of being unsatisfied with the existing computer trespassing laws and argued that prosecutors are trying to “bootstrap computer trespass into ‘aggravated identity theft.’”
“If its gambit succeeds, computer hacking that ordinarily leads to probation will be transformed into an offense with a two-year mandatory minimum sentence of incarceration for each act of hacking—up to 20 years total,” the motion said.
Benowitz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The public information officer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan is furloughed because of the government shutdown, according to an auto-response email. A prosecutor in Weiss’ case did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the motion.
For some programs, spring football has started in earnest, but for Michigan football, it will have to wait another week. But with practices on the horizon, college football pundits are starting to ask questions about what the upcoming season may look like, and among the questions is what Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines will be in his first year.
On3’s popular show ‘Ari & Andy’ attempted to ask and answer that question on their latest episode.
As the duo of Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples mulled over various storylines in the coaching realm, once they got to the ‘newcomers’ — coaches who have taken over new programs — they started with Whittingham. For Wasserman, the big question is how quickly Whittingham can win in Ann Arbor?
“How much pressure is Kyle Whittingham to make sure that Michigan doesn’t lose whatever momentum that it had from winning the national championship and falling back into another 25 year period of being pretty good, but not great?” Wasserman said. “Because on one hand, this is a very critical moment in their program arc. But on the other hand, don’t you also have to give him the benefit of the doubt that, hey, what happened at the end of or during last year was highly dysfunctional in a way that we don’t really see very often in sports in general, let alone college sports? And you got hired during a weird time on the calendar. You probably weren’t anticipating coaching this year.
“Like, do you get a year to try to get your bearings of a new place that expects to win a championship? Like, I don’t know how Michigan fans are viewing this season. Now you’ll tell me what you always tell me. They demand excellence, and they expect excellence. There’s no honeymoon. I think that’s true. But from a rational analysis of this, I don’t know how to view what the (expectations are), like what is a successful season for Kyle Whittingham in year one, make the playoff?”
Staples is a little less about the questions and more about the answers. Because in his mind, regardless of how he got there, Whittingham to Michigan might be the best hire of the entire cycle.
“This really isn’t about Michigan’s expectations. It’s more about Kyle Whittingham’s expectations,” Staples said. “And the fact that Kyle Whittingham did this and the fact that Michigan did this, this was Michigan going out and getting the best coach they could get. But it’s very interesting because let’s say Michigan had fired Sherrone Moore in a more conventional way. And it had been just for losing and had been at the end of the season. And Kyle Whittingham had been one of the coaches that was available, but one of many that was available that the whole cycle hadn’t already been done. I still would have called hiring Kyle Whittingham, maybe the best hire of the cycle. I don’t think a 66-year-old guy goes to this place to build, to rebuild it. He’s going to win now. That’s the whole point of this. He’s not doing this except it is to win now.”
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Michigan Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 9, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Daily 3 numbers from March 9 drawing
Midday: 3-7-3
Evening: 1-1-6
Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 4 numbers from March 9 drawing
Midday: 1-6-5-2
Evening: 8-4-6-3
Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Poker Lotto numbers from March 9 drawing
KD-QH-5C-7D-8D
Check Poker Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from March 9 drawing
24-30-36-37-39
08-09-30-35-36
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Keno numbers from March 9 drawing
04-05-10-12-15-22-26-34-38-44-47-49-52-56-57-59-62-67-71-72-76-80
Check Daily Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 9 drawing
06-16-26-41-43, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Michigan Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes up to $99,999.99, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Michigan Lottery’s Regional Offices.
To claim by mail, complete a ticket receipt form, sign your winning ticket, and send it along with original copies of your government-issued photo ID and Social Security card to the address below. Ensure the names on your ID and Social Security card match exactly. Claims should be mailed to:
Michigan Lottery
Attn: Claim Center
101 E. Hillsdale
P.O. Box 30023
Lansing, MI 48909
For prizes over $100,000, winners must claim their prize in person at the Michigan Lottery Headquarters in Lansing located at 101 E. Hillsdale in downtown Lansing. Each winner must present original versions of a valid government-issued photo ID (typically a driver’s license or state ID) and a Social Security card, ensuring that the names on both documents match exactly. To schedule an appointment, please call the Lottery Player Relations office at 844-887-6836, option 2.
If you prefer to claim in person at one of the Michigan Lottery Regional Offices for prizes under $100,000, appointments are required. Until further notice, please call 1-844-917-6325 to schedule an appointment. Regional office locations are as follows:
- Lansing: 101 E. Hillsdale St. Lansing; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Livonia: 33231 Plymouth Road, Livonia; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Sterling Heights: 34700 Dequindre Road, Sterling Heights; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Detroit: Cadillac Place, 3060 W. Grand Blvd., Suite L-600, Detroit; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Grand Rapids: 3391-B Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Saginaw: Jerome T. Hart State Office Building, 411 E. Genesee Ave., Saginaw; Phone: 844-917-6325
For additional information, downloadable forms, and instructions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s prize claim page.
When are Michigan Lottery drawings held?
- Daily 3 & Daily 4: Midday at 12:59 p.m., Evening at 7:29 p.m.
- Fantasy 5: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Poker Lotto: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Lotto 47: 7:29 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily
- Daily Keno: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Michigan editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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