Identity Thief Whose Deception Led to Victim’s Incarceration Gets 12-Year Prison Term

The real William Woods spent 428 days in county jail and 147 days in a mental hospital after he tried to expose the thief.

In this combination image, an undated selfie shows William Woods in Albequergue, N.M. (L), and this undated photo released by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office shows Matthew David Keirans (R). William Woods and Johnson County Sheriff's Office via AP

An information technology expert who, for decades, assumed the identity of another man so convincingly that his victim was forcibly medicated and jailed for identity theft himself was sentenced on Jan. 31 to 12 years in prison.

Matthew David Keirans, 59, of Hartland, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to federal charges of aggravated identify theft and making false statements to a National Credit Union Administration-insured institution.