A 39-year-old Kentucky man has been sentenced to serve over six years in prison after he hacked into digital state records to fake his own death in order to avoid paying more than US$100,000 (about C$135,836) in child support.
Jesse Kipf was sentenced on Monday after earlier pleading guilty to computer fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky.
Officials said Kipf illegally obtained the username and password of an out-of-state physician and used the credentials to access the Hawaii Death Registry System in January 2023.
Kipf, who was born in Hawaii, created a case file for his own death and assigned himself as the medical certifier using the stolen credentials. He used the physician’s digital signature to falsify his own death record.
In the eyes of U.S. record-keeping systems, Kipf was registered as dead — at least until he was caught. The circumstances of Kipf’s arrest and what led to it have not been made clear.
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He told investigators he faked his own death, in part, to avoid his outstanding child support obligations.
As well as falsifying his own death records, authorities said Kipf hacked into private businesses, other state death registry systems and governmental and corporate networks in attempt to sell access to these networks on the dark web.
Authorities estimate the damages Kipf caused to governmental and corporate computer systems, along with Kipf’s child support obligations, total about US$195,760 (C$265,900). Kipf will be required to pay back the full amount.
More than $116,000 (C$157,500) of the sum is Kipf’s child support obligation to his daughter and her mother, according to court documents obtained by the New York Times.
In a sentencing memo, officials said internet searches including “Remove California child support for deceased” and “California child support arrears father died” were found on Kipf’s laptops.
He has been ordered to serve a six-year-and-nine-month prison sentence. Under federal law, he must serve at least 85 per cent of the sentence.
His release will necessitate three years’ probation.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, called Kipf’s scheme “a cynical and destructive effort.”
“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 said.
“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.”
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