Story perspectives

Court Upholds 12-Year Sentence for Identity Theft Scheme

4/24/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld Matthew David Keirans’s 12-year sentence for aggravated identity theft and false statements.
DNA testing in 2023 confirmed William Woods was the victim of Keirans’s decades-long identity theft scheme.
Matthew David Keirans used Woods’s identity to obtain license, marry, and earn $100,000 a year.
William Woods now lives in Albuquerque as a landscaper and plans to seek compensation for his wrongful incarceration.

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Story summary

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld Matthew David Keirans’s 12-year sentence for aggravated identity theft and false statements.
DNA testing in 2023 confirmed William Woods was the victim of Keirans’s decades-long identity theft scheme.
Matthew David Keirans used Woods’s identity to obtain license, marry, and earn $100,000 a year.
William Woods now lives in Albuquerque as a landscaper and plans to seek compensation for his wrongful incarceration.