Alabama man accused of faking death pleads guilty to fraud

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man accused of faking his death and fleeing to Thailand to avoid trial on child sex charges has pleaded guilty to other charges.

News outlets report 28-year-old Jackson Matthew Hall entered the plea Friday to social security fraud and aggravated identity theft.

A U.S. Attorney’s Office statement says Hall was set to appear in court in 2016 on charges of child abuse, first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy of a child younger than 12.

It says he used another person’s identity to obtain a social security card, driver’s license and U.S. passport, and faked his death before fleeing the country. Thai authorities arrested him in 2017 and sent him back to the U.S.