Niamh Shackleton
A dad went to very extreme measures in the hopes of avoiding having to pay more than $100,000 in child support that he owed his ex-wife.
Jesse Kipf admitted to faking his own death and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of computer fraud in federal court on March 29.
Kipf was indicted last year and has since entered a plea deal.
In January 2023, the 38-year-old forged a death certificate for the state of Hawaii.
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He also 'assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified that case'.
As to why he committed such crimes, his plea deal states that he did so to avoid paying 'his outstanding child support obligations to his ex-wife'.
It further explains, as per Law & Crime: "He applied a digital signature for [the physician], providing his name, title, and license number. This resulted in the Defendant being registered as deceased in many government databases."
Kipf also 'infiltrated other states’ death registry systems' using credentials stolen from other people.
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He now faces several years behind bars.
According to the Eastern District of Kentucky: "For each of the computer fraud charges, Kipf faces up to five years in prison; for each of the identity theft charges, he faces up to two years in prison; and for the bank fraud charges, he faces a maximum of 30 years in prison."
In light of his plea agreement and Kipf pleading guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of computer fraud, it looks as if he could see himself behind bars for seven years.
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He could also be hit with a fine of up to $500,000 for both charges.
But Kipf's crimes don't stop at faking his own death; the 38-year-old also used stolen credentials in a bid to gain access to private business, government, and corporate networks.
It's believed his goal was to try and sell sensitive information.
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"The Defendant caused damage to multiple computer networks and stole the identities of numerous individuals," his plea agreement states.
Apparently his antics caused more than $195,000 in damages.
His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 12 in federal court in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Ahead of Kipf's sentencing, he's agreed to pay off restitution of $3,500 to the state of Hawaii, $56,247 to Milestone Inc., $19,653 to GuestTek Interactive Entertainment, and $116,357 to the California child support agency, New York Post reports.
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He will also have to handover his electronic devices and $16,218 in gold and silver coins.