In a surprising turn of events, a Kentucky man has pleaded guilty to faking his own death in order to evade paying over $100,000 in outstanding child support to his ex-wife. Jesse E. Kipf, 39, admitted to the charges of aggravated identity theft and computer fraud in a plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on March 29.

According to the plea agreement, Kipf accessed the Hawaii death registry system in January 2023 and used the credentials of a doctor residing in another state. He created a false case for his own death, certifying it himself as the medical professional. This resulted in Kipf being listed as deceased in multiple government databases, with the intention of avoiding his child support obligations.

Additionally, Kipf confessed to infiltrating other states' death registry systems by stealing the credentials of real individuals. The plea agreement reveals that he also engaged in hacking private business, governmental, and corporate networks, attempting to sell access to these networks online using stolen information.

The consequences of Kipf's actions have been staggering, with estimated damages amounting to over $195,000. These damages include losses of more than $79,000 to governmental and corporate networks and a whopping $116,000 suffered by his ex-wife.

As part of the plea agreement, Kipf has agreed to pay restitution to all those he has wronged. The court document does not specify the exact amount of restitution required.

Initially indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023 on multiple charges, including computer fraud and aggravated identity theft, Kipf faced a potential prison sentence of over 30 years. However, after accepting a plea deal, his maximum sentence has been reduced to seven years in prison, accompanied by fines of up to $500,000, according to court records.

The case raises significant concerns about the ease with which personal information can be exploited for illegal activities, highlighting the need for enhanced security measures and public awareness regarding online privacy.

Kipf's sentencing is scheduled for a later date.