He then “assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his death, using the digital signature of the doctor,” the press release said.
I get what you’re saying, but I’m pretty sure credentials for medical certification are pretty damn important and not contrary to anyone’s interest. It’s literally to ensure a professional, who has the correct Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting, is actually altering State databases about citizens’ deaths, and not just some rando like this asshole.
I would say a digital signature constitutes a type of forgery, and thus would fall under actual identity theft.