Kentucky Man Receives Sentence After Faking Death

A Kentucky man, Jesse Kipf, has been sentenced to 81 months in federal prison for faking his death, partly to evade child support responsibilities.

At a Glance

A Kentucky man faked his death by hacking state death registry systems.
Jesse Kipf’s actions aimed to avoid paying over $100,000 in child support.
He pleaded guilty to computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Kipf was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison and must pay $195,758.65 in damages.

Hacking into Death Registries

Jesse Kipf, a Kentucky resident, hacked into several state death registry systems to fake his own death. He said his motive was partly to avoid paying over $100,000 in child support to his daughter and her mother, following his 2008 divorce in California.

Using credentials stolen from an out-of-state physician, Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System in January 2023. He created, certified, and finalized his own death certificate, falsely registering himself as deceased in various government databases.

A Kentucky man who prosecutors say hacked into state death registry systems to fake his own death — in part to avoid paying more than $100,000 in child support — was sentenced on Monday to 81 months in federal prison, the authorities said.https://t.co/AALN0NXg9e

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 21, 2024

Consequences of Fraudulent Actions

Kipf’s fraudulent endeavors led to his guilty plea on charges of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison and required to pay $195,758.65 for unpaid child support and damages to government and corporate computer systems.

Besides accessing Hawaii’s system, Kipf infiltrated death registries in Arizona and Vermont, and hacked into private networks such as GuestTek Interactive Entertainment and Milestone Inc. He even attempted to sell unauthorized access to these networks on the dark web.

Long-term Impact and Legal Standing

As a condition of his sentence, Kipf must serve at least 85% of his prison term, followed by three years of supervised release. His case highlights the FBI’s commitment to combating identity theft and computer fraud.

Michael E. Stansbury, Special FBI Agent in Charge at the Louisville Field Office, said that it was discovered he not only hacked computer systems, but stole people’s identities for his own benefit. “Victims of identity theft face lifelong impact and for that reason, the FBI will pursue anyone foolish enough to engage in this cowardly behavior,” Stansbury said.

Kipf’s actions serve as a stark reminder of the extensive damage that cybercriminals can inflict and underscore the importance of robust computer and online security measures.

“Through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners this case will serve as a warning to other cybercriminals,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier.

The Justice Department recommends identity theft victims to place fraud alerts, close compromised accounts, file police reports, and log all relevant information. Kipf’s scheme caused nearly $200,000 in damage to computer systems and child support obligations. This case aims to deter other potential cybercriminals, emphasizing the seriousness of identity theft and fraud.