It appears some people will do just about anything to avoid paying child support. Jesse Kipf, 39, apparently didn't want to pay his child support and faked his death to save himself some money. Kipf, who lived in Kentucky, accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System and certified his own death. The father admitted he did it in part to avoid child support obligations.
According to a news release from the US Attorney's Office Eastern District of Kentucky, Kipf will spend the next 81 months in jail for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. He also must pay his child support.
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Kipf committed the fraud in January 2023.
The US Department of Justice reported that the father accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System with the username and password of a physician living in another state. He then created a "case" for his own death. After fashioning a death certificate, he made himself the medical certifier and used a doctor's digital signature to certify his own death.
"This resulted in Kipf being registered as a deceased person in many government databases. Kipf admitted that he faked his own death, in part, to avoid his outstanding child support obligations," the release reads.
He attempted to start a business on the dark web.
Kipf also was convicted of using other people's credentials to infiltrate other states' death registries, corporate networks, private business networks, and government sites.
"He then tried to sell access to these networks to potential buyers on the dark net, an overlay network within the internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization and is commonly associated with the sale of illicit goods and services," according to the Department of Justice release.
The judge at Kipf's sentencing condemned the father.
Carlton S. Shier IV, US attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, reminded everyone in the courtroom how manipulative a criminal's mind can be.
"This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations. 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 in the release. "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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The father will serve mandatory jail time.
Per federal law, Kipf will serve at least 85% of his jail sentence. After he is released from prison, he will serve three years of probation, according to the release. In addition to prison time, he is required to pay damages to the government and child support totaling $195,758.65.
