A Dad Did Not Want to Pay His Ex-Wife Over $100,000 in Child Support, So He Faked His Death


Jesse Kipf, now 39, has admitted to illegally accessing the Hawaii Death Registry System to orchestrate his own fake death certificate. In January 2023, Kipf, a man from Kentucky, used stolen credentials to create and certify a death case for himself, aiming to evade over $100,000 in child support owed to his ex-wife.

Kipf’s scheme involved fraudulently using a physician’s signature without permission to register as deceased, successfully avoiding the payment of $116,357.77 in child support. His actions extended beyond Hawaii, as he also hacked into systems of Arizona, Vermont, and companies like GuestTek Interactive Entertainment and Milestone, Inc., though prosecutors confirmed he did not access guest personal data at hotels serviced by these companies.

In November 2023, Kipf faced a federal grand jury indictment on charges including five counts of computer fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and two counts of making false statements related to financial institutions. These charges could have led to a sentence of over 60 years if fully convicted. However, Kipf took a plea deal, agreeing to serve seven years for pleading guilty to one count of computer fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

His re-arraignment is scheduled for later this week. Besides serving time, Kipf is obligated to pay $116,357.77 in restitution to California Child Support Services for the child support he avoided, plus $56,247.50 to Milestone and $19,653.38 to GuestTek for network damages. Additionally, he faces potential fines of up to $250,000 per count.

The specifics of Kipf’s crimes, particularly around the sale of stolen data, remain largely undisclosed as many court filings have been kept under seal. Kipf agreed to this plea deal just two weeks before his trial was set to begin in Kentucky.