Father, who has nothing left to do, faked his own death by hacking government websites • The Register

An American man was sentenced to 81 months in prison for faking his own death by hacking government systems and officially marking himself as dead.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday outlined the case of 39-year-old Jesse Kipf, who was imprisoned for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

In January 2023, Kipf used a doctor's credentials to access Hawaii's death registration system and create a “case” documenting his own death.

“Kipf then completed a State of Hawaii death certificate worksheet, appointed himself as the medical certifier for the case, and certified his death with the physician's digital signature,” the Justice Department wrote. The paperwork was all correct, so Kipf was listed as deceased in many government databases.

But he was very much alive and enjoying the fact that because of his “death” he did not have to pay child support or make up for missed payments. Evidence presented in court included internet searches recorded on a laptop. Kipf searched for terms such as “cancel California child support for deceased,” among others.

Not content with faking his own death, Kipf also stole additional credentials and used them to access death records in other countries, as well as private business networks and government and corporate networks.

“He then attempted to sell access to these networks to potential buyers on the dark web,” the Justice Department alleged.

Kip has confessed to his crimes. Upon his release – which will take place in at least five years and eight months – he will face a bill of over $195,000 to cover both his overdue child support payments and the cost of the damage he caused to the various computers he accessed.

The New York Times reports that Kipf has previously been convicted of possessing financial transaction devices that did not belong to him and is also accused of using stolen credit cards. ®