Jesse E. Kipf, a 39-year-old resident of Kentucky, has admitted to hatching an intricate plan to fake his own death. His motive, he claims, was to evade paying over $100,000 in child support to his ex-wife. This confession was made as part of a plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky last month.
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NBC News reported that Kipf pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and computer fraud on March 29. Court documents filed in a plea agreement detailed that Kipf manipulated the Hawaii death registry system in January of 2023. He did so following the use of personal information from a doctor in another state, making a case of death for himself. Kipf, being the medical certifier of his death, consequently led to his listing as deceased in several government databases.
Plea documents also revealed that Kipf did not stop at faking his death. He also accessed death registry systems in other states using the deceased’s credentials. Going above and beyond his attempts to evade personal responsibility, Kipf admitted he hacked the networks of private businesses, government organizations, and companies using stolen information from other people. He even attempted to sell access to these penetrated networks over the Internet, demonstrating the broadness of cybercriminal activities. The actions of Kipf had devastating implications: assessed damages came to more than $195,000. This included over $79,000 in losses to affected networks and over $116,000 in financial damage to his ex-wife. Kipf has agreed to make restitution to all victims of his crimes as part of his plea deal.
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Initially facing charges that could have led to a prison sentence of over 30 years, Kipf’s plea deal considerably reduces his potential time behind bars. He now faces up to seven years in prison and could be fined up to $500,000. This dramatic turn of events comes after Kipf was indicted on multiple counts of computer fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements on applications connected with federally insured financial institutions.
Jesse Kipf’s sentencing is set for April 12. This concludes a case highlighting the lengths to which individuals may go to evade responsibilities and the increasingly digital nature of crime and fraud.