35-year long identity theft leads to imprisonment for victim

A decades-long identity theft case is detailed in which Matthew David Keirans assumed the identity of William Donald Woods beginning in 1988, using it to secure jobs, financial accounts, and official documents, even causing Woods’ wrongful arrest after a bank verification call. Woods, who was homeless, struggled to reclaim his identity until DNA evidence confirmed his parentage, leading to Keirans’ confession. Keirans pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a National Credit Union Administration insured institution and aggravated identity theft; he remains in U.S. Marshals custody pending sentencing.