Kentucky Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Faking Death to Dodge Child Support

Kentucky Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Faking Death to Dodge Child Support
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Prosecutors on Tuesday stated that a man from Kentucky who had attempted to escape paying over $100,000 in unpaid child support by hacking into state death registration systems to fake his own death had been sentenced to more than six years in jail.

In a plea deal, Jesse Kipf, 39, was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on charges of aggravated identity theft and computer fraud.

Prosecutors claimed in a press release that Kipf made a case for his own death in January 2023 by gaining access to the Hawaii death register system with the help of a doctor who practiced in a different state.

According to the release, he certified his death using the doctor’s digital signature, filled out a Hawaii death certificate worksheet, and designated himself as the case’s medical certifier. As a result, he was listed as deceased in numerous government databases.

He acknowledged staging his own death, according to officials, in part “to avoid outstanding child support obligations.”

Based on the sentence memorandum, he owed about $116,000. He continued after that.

Using “credentials he stole from real people,” Kipf also broke into government and corporate networks, private company networks, and other state death registration systems. Prosecutors stated in the announcement that he then attempted to resell access to such networks on the dark web.

Kipf admitted to storing databases of personally identifiable information on his computer devices, including medical records and Social Security numbers. The sentencing statement stated that Kipf sold these databases “to international buyers, including individuals from Algeria, Russia, and Ukraine.”

According to the petition, there were “untold consequences in trying to rectify the networks and the harm to the individuals whose personally identifying information was exposed, stolen, or misused” in addition to roughly $80,000 in repair charges for the state’s death registration systems.

Kipf is required to spend 85% of his jail term, and the U.S. Probation Office will oversee him for three years after his release.

According to a news release from the Justice Department, Kipf was first charged by a federal grand jury in November with five charges of computer fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.

He was charged with breaking into the websites of the states of Arizona, Hawaii, and Vermont as well as the companies Milestone Inc. and GuestTek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.

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The Eastern District of Kentucky U.S. Attorney, Carlton S. Shier IV, referred to his scheme as “cynical and destructive.”

“This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all,” he stated. “Fortunately, through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cyber criminals, and he will face the consequences of his disgraceful conduct.”

Reference

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.