A Kentucky man has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison after faking his own death by hacking a government system to evade child support payments, according to U.S. prosecutors.
Jesse Kipf, a 39-year-old man from Somerset, Kentucky, faked his own death in January 2023 to avoid paying child support. Kipf accomplished this by accessing Hawaii’s death registry system using a stolen username and password belonging to a doctor practicing in another state. He then created a fraudulent death certificate, complete with the doctor’s digital signature, to report his own death. As a result, Kipf was listed as deceased in several government databases.
In addition, Kipf illegally accessed death registry systems in other states, as well as private business and government networks, to steal individuals’ personal information. He then attempted to sell these stolen credentials on the dark web.
In November 2023, Kipf was further indicted on three charges of fraud—now totaling 10 counts—by a federal grand jury in London. He was accused of breaching data by accessing the private networks of multiple entities to steal and sell personal information.
According to the indictment from the U.S. District Court, Kipf accessed three government networks and two company systems without authorization from 2022 to 2023. He also infiltrated protected computers in Pulaski, Kentucky, as well as those in other locations. In sum, Kipf is accused of stealing the identities of three individuals in order to use them for personal gain.
Moreover, Kipf opened bank accounts at two different banks using a fraudulent Social Security number. He then proceeded to apply for credit cards and loans under that identity in December 2020 and April 2023.
The court seized nine digital storage devices from Kipf, including over 1TB of memory cards and a laptop. Kipf has been ordered to repay all the funds he had illegally obtained. Further, he is required to pay a fine of $195,758.65 to cover unpaid child support and the damage he caused to the government and corporate computer systems he violated.
“This defendant, who hacked into various computer systems and maliciously stole the identities of others for personal gain, will now face the consequences,” said Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Louisville Field Office. “Victims of identity theft endure lifelong impacts, and for that reason, the FBI will relentlessly pursue anyone who engages in such cowardly behavior,” he added.
Related article: South Korean soldier uses stolen personal information to obtain prescription drugs
A South Korean army officer has been apprehended for stealing the personal information of approximately 90 former soldiers to obtain controlled substances.
On June 21, authorities arrested a service member in his 40s, who serves as an officer in the army, on charges of violating narcotics control and privacy laws, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Gyeonggi Hanam Police Station.
The police explained that the soldier accessed personal details of over 90 former service members through the army’s internal network system, including names and resident registration numbers. Subsequently, he used this stolen information to create a counterfeit identification card, allowing him to obtain prescription medications without legitimate prescriptions.
According to police reports, the soldier visited multiple hospitals in Seoul and the Gyeonggi region to obtain prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, specifically zolpidem, a narcotic used for sleep disorders. Additionally, on June 27, authorities arrested a woman in her 30s not affiliated with the military, for her involvement in the illegal procurement of drugs with the soldier.
These crimes took place between December 2023 and June 2024. The criminal was exposed when one victim reported unauthorized prescriptions filled in his name to health authorities. READ MORE
