Man sentenced for hacking state registry to fake his own death

A 39-year old man from Somerset, Kentucky, was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison for identity theft and faking his own death in government registry systems.

A press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) informs that Jesse Kipf used stolen credentials to access the Hawaii Death Registry System to register himself as a deceased person.

The reason behind the intrusion was to avoid paying child support obligations.

“In January 2023, Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System, using the username and password of a physician living in another state, and created a “case” for his own death,” reads the U.S. DoJ press release.

“Kipf then completed a State of Hawaii Death Certificate Worksheet, assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his death, using the digital signature of the doctor.”

This action resulted in the man appearing as deceased in U.S. government databases, effectively nullifying his outstanding child support obligations, which himself admitted was the main motive behind the illegal access.

Kipf also accessed private corporate networks and government systems using stolen account credentials and then offered to sell access to the networks on darkweb markets.

Additionally, Kipf used a false social security number to apply for a credit or debit account at a financial institution.

FBI’s Michael E. Stansbury, who led the investigation, stated that “this defendant who hacked a variety of computer systems and maliciously stole the identity of others for his own personal gain, will now pay the price,” adding that “victims of identity theft face lifelong impact and for that reason, the FBI will pursue anyone foolish enough to engage in this cowardly behavior.”

The total damage from Kipf’s actions, including unpaid child support, are estimated to more than $195,750.

The man must serve 85% of the prison sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, which is 69 months (over 5.5 years). After  release, he will be placed under supervision for three years.