Ex-student admits guilt in ID theft case

[Erica Absetz <erica () riskbasedsecurity com>]

SAN DIEGO — A former Cal State San Marcos student accused of stealing
the identities and passwords of 745 students to rig campus elections
pleaded guilty Thursday to three federal charges.

Matthew Weaver, 22, of Huntington Beach admitted to wire fraud, access
device fraud and unauthorized use of a computer, the U.S. Attorney’s
Office. He made his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Gallo in
San Diego federal court.

Weaver is scheduled to be sentenced June 17 by U.S. District Judge
Larry Alan Burns. He faces 27 to 33 months in federal custody.

In March 2012, Weaver was one of two candidates running for president
of Associated Students Inc., the campus’ student council, when the
fraud was uncovered. The council president is paid $8,000 a year.

According to court documents, Weaver used a keylogger — a small
electronic device that secretly records a computer user’s keystrokes —
to steal student passwords. Weaver admitted to casting about 480 votes
for himself and friends on the ballot.

Once the fraud was discovered, the student council threw out the
election results and started from scratch.

School officials have said it was the largest identity theft case —
and the only one of its kind — in the university’s 24-year history.
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