Know what! A Kentucky man who goes by the name Jesse E. Kipf has pleaded guilty to the faking of his own death just so he can avoid paying over $100,000 in child support to his ex-wife.
39-year-old Jesse, on Friday, March 29th pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of computer fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
As per the plea agreement, Kipf breached the Hawaii death registry system in January 2023 by utilizing the information of a physician residing in a different state.
We're now on WhatsApp. Click here to join.
He proceeded to fabricate a case for his own demise, assuming the role of the medical certifier and affirming the case. Consequently, Kipf’s falsified certification led to his inclusion in numerous government databases as deceased.
The plea agreement further reveals that the defendant unlawfully accessed death registry systems in other states by appropriating credentials belonging to genuine individuals. One of the motivations behind the defendant’s fabrication of his own demise was to evade his outstanding child support responsibilities to his former spouse.
Kipf’s crimes caused more than $195,000 in damages. This includes over $79,000 in losses to government and business networks and more than $116,357.77 in losses for his ex-wife. He agreed to pay back everyone he hurt, according to the plea agreement.
Related: Trump sues judge in NYC criminal case in last-minute effort to delay trial
Kipf was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023. He faced five charges of computer fraud and three charges of aggravated identity theft. These accusations say he hacked into websites for Arizona, Hawaii, and Vermont states, as well as GuestTek Interactive Entertainment Ltd. and Milestone Inc.
As per the agreement, Kipf promised to compensate all impacted parties.
A statement from the US Attorney’s Office in November mentioned that Kipf initially faced charges of five counts of computer fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and two counts of making false statements.
However, after accepting a plea deal, Kipf now confronts a lesser sentence.
Kipf’s attorney, Thomas Miceli, did not promptly respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. His sentencing hearing is set for the afternoon of April 12.
See This: Richest People in the World 2024