Kentucky man sentenced to nine years in prison for faking his death to avoid child support | US News

A man was sentenced to prison after faking his own death to avoid paying child support, prosecutors said.

Jesse Kipf, 39, from Somerset, Kentuckywas sentenced to nine years in prison for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft after attempting to evade his outstanding child support obligations.

Carlton Shier, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said in a statement that Kipf had access to Hawaii's Death data register in January last year.

Using the login information of a doctor living in another part of the United States, the 39-year-old created a case for his own death and filled out a worksheet for a death certificate in the Aloha State.

Kipf was subsequently registered as deceased in several government databases.

In addition, he gained access to other government registration systems and private networks using credentials stolen from real people and attempted to sell the credentials on the dark web.

After his arrest in November, he admitted that he did this in part to avoid paying child support. In April, Kipf pleaded guilty to both charges.

In a statement, Mr Shier said: “This plot was a cynical and destructive attempt, based in part on the inexcusable goal of evading his child support obligations.”

“This case is a stark reminder of the damage criminals can do with computers and how critical computer and online security is for all of us.

“Fortunately, thanks to the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cybercriminals, and he will face the consequences of his shameful behavior.”

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According to court records, Kipf divorced in 2008 and was stationed in Iraq for nearly a year between 2007 and 2008.

The Eastern District of Kentucky also ordered Kipf to pay more than $195,000 in restitution for damages to computer systems as well as the remaining amount of his child support.