A southern Kentucky man has admitted in court that he staged his own death to avoid paying more than $100.000 in child support owed to his ex-wife.
Jesse Kipf, 39, pleaded guilty March 29 in federal court to computer fraud and identity theft after he accessed Hawaii's death registry system and posed as a doctor from another state in order to create a false death certificate for himself.
According to the confession filed in court, Kipf completed a Hawaii death certificate worksheet in early 2023, effectively casting himself as the medical examiner for the case and certifying his own death.
After his fraud was revealed, he owes at least $800.000
Kipf then "infiltrated" other states' death registry systems by using credentials stolen from other people to break into private business, government and corporate networks, and then attempted to sell access to those networks to potential customers online.
It cost him more
"The defendant staged his death, in part, to avoid his overdue child support obligations to his ex-wife," the government said.
But the plan ultimately went awry, and Kipf now owes his ex-wife about $116.000, along with $200.000 in businesses and government agencies he hacked, according to the Guardian.
In addition, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $500.000. His trial is expected to take place on April 12.
Source: in.gr