A Wisconsin man, aged 58, is facing up to 32 years in prison for a 36-year identity theft scheme that left the victim entangled in a web of false accusations and legal troubles. The victim, William Woods, found himself in a nightmare scenario where his identity was stolen, leading to his arrest and even confinement in a mental hospital.
The saga began in 2019 when Woods, a homeless man in Los Angeles, discovered that someone was using his name to accumulate debt. When he tried to rectify the situation by visiting a California bank, he was met with disbelief and suspicion. Despite providing his social security card and California ID, the bank called the police after Woods couldn't answer security questions related to the fraudulent accounts opened in his name.
Police arrested Woods, who was adamant about his true identity, but authorities insisted he was actually Matthew Keirans. This led to Woods being deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial and being sent to a state mental hospital, where he spent over a year before agreeing to a plea deal to secure his release.
Woods' relentless pursuit to prove his identity eventually led to the unraveling of the elaborate scheme orchestrated by Keirans. Through DNA testing and investigative work, it was confirmed that Woods was indeed the victim of identity theft, not the perpetrator as authorities had wrongly believed.
The shocking revelation exposed Keirans' decades-long deception, during which he assumed Woods' identity, built a life, got married, and even had a child—all under false pretenses. Keirans went to great lengths to maintain the charade, including obtaining fraudulent identification documents and manipulating genealogy records.
Keirans, who pleaded guilty to federal charges, faces a sentencing hearing, while efforts are underway to vacate Woods' wrongful conviction. The case serves as a cautionary tale of the devastating consequences of identity theft and the importance of vigilance in safeguarding personal information.
