Kentucky
Kentucky man gets prison for hacking state systems to fake own death and avoid paying child support
A Somerset, Kentucky, man was sentenced to prison after hacking state registry systems to fake his own death in order to avoid paying child support.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said 39-year-old Jesse Kipf was sentenced to 81 months on Monday for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Kipf is accused of hacking state systems in Hawaii, Arizona and Vermont, in addition to two private companies, GuestTek Interactive Entertainment, which provides internet access at hotels, and Milestone Inc., a marketing company, according to federal court documents.
In January 2023, when Kipf owed his California ex over six-figures, federal prosecutors say Kipf obtained the credentials of a doctor, logged into the Hawaii Death Registry System and created a case file for his own premature end.
KENTUCKY DAD HACKS HAWAII TO FAKE DEATH RATHER THAN PAY 6-FIGURE CHILD SUPPORT DEBT
Jesse Kipf, 38, is expected to plead guilty to federal hacking and identity theft charges after prosecutors say he faked his own death, partly to escape having to pay more than $116,000 in child support to his ex in California. (Grayson County Detention Center)
He then filled out a death certificate while posing as the doctor and submitted it — which made him appear dead across several government databases, court filings say.
Prosecutors said he also hacked other death registries and broke into private business networks, selling access on the dark web.
Additionally, after faking his death, he is accused of opening credit cards with false Social Security numbers in an attempt to live a new life.
ROMANIAN MOB IS COMING FOR YOUR DEBIT CARDS, WITH ATM-STYLE SKIMMERS NOW AT SELF-CHECKOUTS, AUTHORITIES WARN
The DOJ said Kipf pleaded guilty to the crimes, which he committed for his own private gain.
“This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations,” Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky said. “This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all.
“Fortunately, through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cyber criminals, and he will face the consequences of his disgraceful conduct.”
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Kipf is required under federal law to serve 85% of his prison sentence. Once released, he will be on supervised release for three years.
The DOJ added that the damage to governmental and corporate computer systems and Kipf’s failure to pay his child support obligations amounted to a total of $195,759.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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