An American man was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for hacking into government systems and officially declaring himself dead to avoid paying child support.
The US Department of Justice has released details of the case of Jesse Kipf, a 39-year-old man who was sentenced to 81 months in prison for computer fraud and identity theft. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday.
In January 2023, Kipf used his doctor’s credentials to access Hawaii’s Death Registration System. There, he created a «case» that recorded his own death. The attacker filled out a Hawaii state death certificate form, appointed himself as a medical certifier, and confirmed his death with a doctor’s digital signature. Because the paperwork was completed correctly, many government databases listed Kipf as deceased.
The motivation for faking his death was the desire to avoid paying alimony and child support. Evidence was presented at the trial, including Kipf’s internet search history from his laptop, where he searched for information on how to «Remove child support in California for a deceased».
Kipf did not stop at faking his own death. He stole other credentials and used them to access other states’ death registries, private business networks, government and corporate networks. According to the Department of Justice, the attacker tried to sell access to these networks to potential buyers on the darknet.
The man pleaded guilty. Upon his release, which will take place in at least five years and eight months, he will have to pay more than $195,000. This amount will cover both the overdue alimony and the costs of compensating for the damage caused to the computer systems to which he gained access.
According to the New York Times, Kipf was previously convicted of possessing financial devices that did not belong to him. In addition, he was charged with using stolen credit cards.
Source: TheRegister
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