In a case that has left authorities and the public astounded, a Kentucky man has confessed to faking his own death to evade paying over $100,000 in child support. Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft in a federal court.
Kipf, a resident of Pulaski County, Kentucky, admitted to using a computer to access Hawaii's death registry system in 2023. He created a fraudulent death certificate for himself, a move that authorities say was designed to dodge child support payments amounting to more than $100,000.
According to the plea agreement, Kipf used the details of a doctor residing in another state to create a case for his own death. He then "assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified that case," which led to Kipf being listed as deceased in numerous government databases.
The plea agreement further reveals that Kipf "infiltrated other states' death registry systems using credentials he stole from other real people." His actions were not limited to government databases. Kipf also hacked into private business, governmental, and corporate networks, stealing information and attempting to sell the access to these networks to online buyers.
The fallout from Kipf's actions has been extensive. His crimes resulted in estimated damages exceeding $195,000, including over $79,000 in losses to governmental and corporate networks and more than $116,000 in losses suffered by his ex-wife. As part of his plea agreement, Kipf has agreed to pay restitution to all parties affected by his actions.
Initially, Kipf was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of computer fraud and identity theft, with the charges carrying a potential prison sentence of over 30 years. However, after taking a plea deal, Kipf now faces a maximum of seven years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines.
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