A Kentucky man who faked his own death to evade more than $100,000 (£77,000) in child support has been sentenced to over six years in federal prison.
Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of computer fraud and identity theft after hacking into the Hawaii state government's death registry in early 2023. He impersonated a medical certifier and falsely registered himself as deceased, leading to his name appearing in multiple government databases.
Prosecutors revealed that Kipf also infiltrated other states' death registry systems and hotel booking platforms using stolen medical credentials. He sold access to these systems, along with databases containing personal information such as social security numbers, to cybercriminals from countries including Algeria, Russia, and Ukraine.
US District Judge Robert Wier sentenced Kipf to six years and eight months in prison. Under federal law, he must serve 85% of his sentence and will be supervised for three years after release. Prosecutors stated Kipf owed approximately $196,000 in child support and damages.
The US attorney for the eastern district of Kentucky condemned the scheme as a 'cynical and destructive effort' and warned it would serve as a deterrent to other cybercriminals.
