Former Hospital Administrator Pleads Guilty to Stealing Colleague’s Identity for 30 Years
In a shocking case of identity theft, former hospital administrator Matthew David Keirans, 58, has pled guilty to stealing the identity of his former colleague, hot dog vendor William Donald Woods, for over three decades. The incident, which began in the late 1980s while the pair worked together in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has had devastating consequences for Woods.
Keirans, who most recently resided in Hartland, Wisconsin, admitted to stealing Woods’ identity and using it to obtain loans worth over $200,000 from credit unions in northern Iowa. He even went as far as getting married using Woods’ name in 1994 and having a child with the last name of Woods.
The situation took a dark turn when Woods, who eventually became homeless, was thrown into the Los Angeles County Jail in 2019 after trying to report the identity theft at a bank in California. Despite presenting valid identification, Woods was arrested after being unable to answer security questions posed by the bank manager.
Woods spent a total of 428 days in county jail and 147 days in a mental hospital as a result of Keirans’ false reports to the LAPD and LADA. Keirans now faces a mandatory minimum of two years and a maximum sentence of 32 years behind bars, along with a $1.25 million fine.
The case serves as a cautionary tale about the devastating impact of identity theft and the importance of safeguarding personal information. Keirans remains in federal custody as his sentencing is pending.