Prosecutors shared on Tuesday that the man who hacked into state death registry systems to fake his own death and avoid paying child support has been sentenced to over six years in prison.
In January 2023, Jesse Kipf, 39, accessed the Hawaii death registry system, using the information of a physician in another state, and created a case for his death, prosecutors shared in a press release.
On Monday, the Kentucky native paid the price for his actions, having been sentenced in US District Court Eastern District of Kentucky. Kipf accepted a plea agreement on charges of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
At the time that he committed the crime, Kipf owed more than $116,000 in child support, and prosecutors said that he faked his death “to avoid outstanding child support obligations.”
After breaking into the Hawaii death registry system, he completed a State of Hawaii Death Certificate, assigned himself as the medical certifier for his fake case, and certified his death using the digital signature of the doctor whose information he was using.
Kipf also broke into other state death registry systems, private business networks, and government networks “using credentials he stole from real people.”
Prosecutors also shared that he went on to try and sell access to the networks on the dark web, the release shared.
In a sentencing memorandum obtained by NBC News, it shared that Kipf acknowledged having databases of personal identifiable information on his private devices. This included medical records, social security numbers, and more that he sold “to international buyers, including individuals from Algeria, Russia and Ukraine.”
The filing shared that the damage to the state death registry systems included almost $80,000 in costs to repair and “untold consequences in trying to rectify the networks and the harm to the individuals whose personally identifying information was exposed, stolen, or misused.”
The US Attorney of the Eastern District of Kentucky, Carlton S. Shier IV, shared in the release that Kipf’s actions were “cynical and destructive.”
Kipf must now serve 85% of his prison sentence and face three years of probation after he is released, the press release shared.
“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. 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,” Shier added.