Man who faked own death by hacking into death registry to avoid paying child support sentenced to over 6 years in prison

Celina Tebor, CNN

(CNN) — A Kentucky man who faked his ain decease by hacking into a decease registry to debar paying kid support was sentenced to complete 6 years successful situation Monday, according to a merchandise from nan U.S. Attorney’s Office of nan Eastern District of Kentucky.

Jesse Kipf accessed nan Hawaii decease registry strategy successful January 2023, utilizing nan username and password of a expert surviving successful different state, to create a “case” for his ain death, according to his plea agreement.

He past completed a decease certificate worksheet, “assigned himself arsenic nan aesculapian certifier for nan lawsuit and certified his death, utilizing nan integer signature of nan doctor. This resulted successful Kipf being registered arsenic a deceased personification successful galore authorities databases,” nan merchandise reads.

Kipf admitted he faked his ain death, “in part, to debar his outstanding kid support obligations,” it says.

“We respect nan court’s decision,” Kipf’s attorney, Tommy Miceli, told CNN.

Using credentials he stole from existent people, Kipf besides infiltrated different states’ decease registry systems, backstage business networks, on pinch governmental and firm networks – past tried to waste entree to nan networks connected nan acheronian net, according to officials.

Kipf was sentenced to 81 months successful situation connected Monday and is required to service 85% of his situation condemnation nether national law. After he’s released, he’ll beryllium nether nan supervision of nan U.S. Probation Office for 3 years, nan merchandise said.

“This strategy was a cynical and destructive effort, based successful portion connected nan inexcusable extremity of avoiding his kid support obligations,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, U.S. Attorney for nan Eastern District of Kentucky. “This lawsuit is simply a stark reminder of really damaging criminals pinch computers tin be, and really critically important machine and online information is to america all.”