A Kentucky man has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison after hacking into state registries to fake his own death, in hopes of avoiding approximately $116,000 in child support payments.
In a press release, the US Attorney’s Office wrote that Jesse Kipf, 39, was sentenced on charges including computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. Kipf hacked state death registries in Arizona, Hawaii, and Vermont, and also hacked into private businesses, attempted to sell access to networks on the dark web, and stole identities to open two credit accounts.
Kipf has agreed to pay $195,758.65 in damages, including the child support owed to his ex-wife and nearly $80,000 to repair damage to the state death registries.
Carlton S. Shier IV, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, commented that Kipf’s “scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations.”
The scheme, which started in January 2023, was discovered when Kipf used the credentials of an out-of-state physician to access the Hawaii Death Registry System and create a false “case” for his own death. He then assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case, using the digital signature of the doctor. Kipf’s false death was registered in various government databases, but he continued his activities, hacking registries in Arizona and Vermont, and infiltrating private business networks.
Among the businesses Kipf hacked were Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd. and Milestone, Inc., companies providing internet services to hotels. However, the US Attorney’s Office found no evidence that Kipf accessed hotel customers’ personal information.
Kipf admitted his actions were intended to evade child support payments after investigators seized his devices and uncovered his searches related to faking death and child support obligations. Evidence also revealed other schemes involving the sale of stolen Social Security numbers and medical records to international buyers, as reported by NBC News.
Prosecutors argued that other parts of Kipf’s scheme had severe consequences, impacting individuals whose personal information was exposed, stolen, or misused. They emphasized that by attempting to fake his death to avoid child support, Kipf continued to victimize his daughter and her mother.
Carlton S. Shier IV stated that Kipf’s sentencing should discourage similar schemes in the future, noting the damaging potential of computer-based criminal activities and the critical importance of online security. Kipf’s attorney, Thomas Miceli, expressed respect for the court’s decision.
For the complete story, visit Ars Technica.