A Kentucky man who faked his own death to avoid paying child support is now facing several years behind bars.
Jesse Kipf, 38, pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing peoples' identities in order to create a fake death certificate so he would be officially listed as a dead man.
Kipf Hacked into Death Registry System, Faked a Death Certificate Claiming He Died of Covid-19
According to the plea agreement, Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System by posing as a physician in a different state.
"He completed a State of Hawaii Death Certificate Worksheet, and then, on January 21, 2023, the Defendant assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified that case," the plea agreement says. "He applied a digital signature for [the physician], providing his name, title, and license number. This resulted in the Defendant being registered as deceased in many government databases."
Kipf's fake death certificate claimed he had died by respiratory issues associated with Covid-19. Kipf "also infiltrated other states' death registry systems" using credentials stolen from other people.
Kipf Wanted to Avoid Paying Child Support to His Ex-Wife
"The Defendant faked his own death, in part, in order to avoid his outstanding child support obligations to his ex-wife," the plea agreement says. Kepf owed more than $100,000 in child support.
He also admitted using stolen credentials to hack into private business, government and corporate networks and they trying to sell access to those networks to potential online buyers worldwide.
"In doing so, the Defendant caused damage to multiple computer networks and stole the identities of numerous individuals," says the plea agreement.The estimated cost of damages was more than $195,000, according to the filing.
Kipf has pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a potential five year maximum sentence, and one count of computer fraud, which has a minimum two year sentence. Both charges also carry a fine of up to $250,000.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Frankfort, Kentucky, on April 12.
