Lang
1/31/25
A former University of Iowa IT systems employee who stole a California man’s identity in the 1980s has been sentenced to a dozen years in federal prison.
59-year-old Matthew Keirans of Hartland, Wisconsin was convicted last April in US District Court of one count of a false statement to a credit union and aggravated identity theft. Keirans stole the identity of William Woods in 1988 when they worked together at a hot dog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Woods became homeless and ended up being committed to a mental hospital because he repeatedly claimed that his identity had been stolen, but authorities didn’t believe him. Keirans used his identity to acquire loans, credit and jobs. He even had a son under Woods’ name.
Keirans had faced up to 32 years in prison. On Friday, he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars.