A former collegiate track and field coach has been indicted on a slew of charges.
Steve Waithe has been indicted on 12 counts of wire fraud after allegedly using fake social media accounts to blackmail more than 49 women, the Associated Press reported. Six of those women were members of the Northeastern track team that he had met while coaching at the university. Waithe has also been indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, aiding and abetting computer fraud, and cyberstalking.
Waithe would allegedly create sham social media accounts and contact women by saying he was in possession of photographs that could be considered inappropriate or compromising. He would demand his victims send him nude or semi-nude photographs if they wanted the photos removed online, prosecutors said.
Waithe also allegedly created two female personas to obtain similar photos and would send emails pretending to be his aliases who were requesting information on a sham athletic study, according to the Massachusetts Department of Justice.
Additionally, Waithe is accused of cyberstalking a woman and hacking into her personal Snapchat with another defendant. The duo would allegedly pose as members of the Snapchat Support Team and request personal information. The identity of Waithe's co-conspirator is unknown.
Newsweek previously reported on his arrest and release. The police department at Northeastern University cooperated with the police during their investigation and provided evidence for alleged inappropriate behavior during his tenure.
"The Northeastern University Police Department also alerted federal law enforcement officials and worked in full cooperation for the duration of the federal investigation. We appreciate the diligence of the FBI and the US Attorney's office and the actions that resulted today," a spokesperson told Newsweek in April.
Waithe faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, along with three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, the AP reported. He will make an appearance in federal court on December 9.
For more reporting from The Associated Press, see below.
Waithe was originally arrested in April and was released with conditions in May. Waithe's federal public defender said via email that she had no comment.
Waithe coached at several colleges, including Penn State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee, and Concordia University Chicago.
Prosecutors say that his schemes started as early as February 2020. He would also say that he would use the photos that he received for "reverse image searches."
Investigators identified more than a dozen sham social media accounts allegedly used by Waithe and more than 350 photos.
A review of Waithe's browser history also uncovered searches such as "Can anyone trace my fake Instagram account back to me?" and how to hack Snapchat accounts, prosecutors said.
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