Crime

Former Northeastern track coach pleads guilty to scheme to obtain explicit photos of women

Steve Waithe coached at Northeastern from October 2018 to February 2019, when he was fired following allegations of inappropriate conduct toward female athletes.

Shillman Hall, Northeastern University Boston. David L. Ryan/Boston Globe Staff, File

November 22, 2023

2 minutes to read

A former Northeastern University track and field coach pleaded guilty Tuesday to a multifaceted scheme to steal explicit photos from female athletes’ cellphones and trick other women into sending him nude and semi-nude photos of themselves, federal prosecutors said.

Steve Waithe, 30, was also accused of cyberstalking a Northeastern student and hacking into her Snapchat account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release.

The Chicago resident pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wire fraud; one count of cyberstalking; one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud; and one count of aiding and abetting computer fraud. He was arrested and charged in April 2021 and indicted in December of that year.

“Today, this former coach finally admitted to using his position of trust to betray his students when he extorted them for his own sexual gratification,” Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement. “Make no mistake, predators come in many different forms, and Steve Waithe is no exception.”

Former Northeastern coach used several methods to obtain photos

Waithe coached at Northeastern from October 2018 to February 2019, when he was fired after the university investigated allegations of inappropriate conduct toward female athletes, The Boston Globe reported in 2021. Prosecutors said he also coached at Penn State University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee, and Concordia University Chicago.

While working at Northeastern, Waithe would ask female athletes to give him their cellphones under the pretense of filming them at practices and meets, prosecutors said. Instead, he would covertly send himself explicit photos that he found on their phones.

Waithe also cyberstalked a Northeastern student from at least June 2020 to October 2020, hacking into her Snapchat account and sending harassing and intimidating messages to the woman and her boyfriend. Prosecutors said the messages contained explicit photos Waithe stole from the woman’s phone while she was on the Northeastern track and field team.

Previously:

Former Northeastern coach allegedly solicited nude photos of student-athletes in online schemes

He used anonymous social media accounts to contact women as early as February 2020, claiming to have found compromising pictures of them online. Prosecutors said he would then offer to “help” remove the images from the internet and request additional nude and semi-nude photos that he could purportedly use for “reverse image searches.”

Waithe also fabricated at least two female personas — “Katie Janovich” and “Kathryn Svoboda” — to trick women into sending him photos under the guise of an “athlete research” or “body development” study, prosecutors said. Investigators reportedly identified dozens of women who sent photos, thinking they were intended for a legitimate study.

In October 2020, Waithe conspired with another individual to hack into Snapchat accounts and ultimately gained access to at least one account and its explicit photos, according to prosecutors.

Waithe is scheduled for sentencing on March 6. Each count of wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The cyberstalking and two computer fraud charges are each punishable by up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

“Mr. Waithe’s conduct is despicable,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “Mr. Waithe maliciously invaded the lives of dozens of innocent victims and inflicted real trauma. He now knows no one can hide from justice — even anonymously behind a keyboard.”

Prosecutors urged anyone with questions, concerns, or information on the case to call 617-748-3274.