Former Northeastern University track-and-field coach Steve Waithe pleaded guilty Tuesday to tricking dozens of young women across the nation into sending him naked and semi-naked photos of themselves, according to a District of Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.
Waithe, 30, also pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wire fraud, cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and computer fraud, aiding and abetting. Waithe created a dozen fake social media accounts to facilitate his crimes, the attorney’s office said.
“Mr. Waithe’s conduct is despicable,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said. “For almost a year, he manipulated, exploited and in one case stalked young women across the country hiding behind a web of anonymized social media accounts and fabricated personas he engineered.”
“Protecting our communities is one of the highest priorities for this office and we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure predators like Mr. Waithe face the full consequences of their actions,” Levy concluded. (RELATED: Police Arrest School Lunch Lady For Allegedly Sending Nude Photo To Teenager, Driving To Party To Meet Up)
As part of Waithe’s scheme, he would request to use female athletes’ cellphones under the guise he would record them at practice or meets, the press release noted. He would then reportedly covertly search for “explicit” photos and send them to himself.
Starting in February 2020, Waithe anonymously messaged six Northeastern female athletes by using fake Instagram accounts, saying he discovered nude pictures of them online and could help wipe them from the internet, the attorney’s office said. Waithe then reportedly requested additional nude photos from victims to undertake “reverse image” searches.
In addition, Waithe used various emails with fake names to entice women into participating in a fake “body development” study, according to the press release. The emails requested the women send pictures to Waithe in a “uniform or bathing suit to show as much skin as possible.”
A judge will sentence Waithe in March. Each count of wire fraud could potentially result in up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, prosecutors said.
Waithe coached at Northeastern from Oct. 2018 until his firing Feb. 2019, according to Boston 25.