A Kentucky man has been sentenced to over six years in prison for hacking into a state database to fake his own death and evade child support payments.
Jesse Kipf, 39, was sentenced to 81 months for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In January of the previous year, Kipf accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System and created a fraudulent case for his own death.
He then completed a State of Hawaii Death Certificate Worksheet, fraudulently certifying his death using the digital signature of a doctor.
This manipulation led to Kipf being registered as deceased in various government databases.
Kipf admitted that the motive behind his actions was to avoid paying over $100,000 in child support.
In addition to this fraudulent activity, Kipf accessed other death registry systems and targeted companies, using stolen login details from real physicians and workers.
He also offered to sell access to these systems and sold stolen databases, which included sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers, to cyber criminals on the darknet.
The darknet is a part of the internet accessible only through specialized software that conceals users’ identities, and it is known for illicit activities including the sale of stolen data.
Kipf sold this stolen data to international buyers from countries like Algeria, Russia, and Ukraine.
“This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations,” said Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Under federal law, Kipf is required to serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under U.S. Probation Office supervision for three years following his release.
The total financial impact of his crimes, including damage to governmental and corporate computer systems and his unpaid child support, amounted to $195,758.65.
Source-BBC
