Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Decades-Long Identity Theft Leading to Victim’s Incarceration

In a case spanning over three decades, 59-year-old Matthew David Keirans of Hartland, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft and making false statements. Keirans assumed the identity of William "Bill" Donald Woods, leading to Woods' wrongful imprisonment and institutionalization.

The saga began in the late 1980s when both men worked at a hot dog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Keirans stole Woods' wallet in 1988, using the information to obtain a driver's license in Woods' name. Over the next 35 years, Keirans lived as Woods, securing loans, employment, and. . .