DES MOINES, IOWA — Matthew David Keirans, 59, of Hartland, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that spanned more than 30 years, in which he illegally obtained and used another person’s identity. This action led to the victim’s false imprisonment and involuntary hospitalization, authorities confirmed Friday.
Keirans first stole his victim’s identity in the late 1980s while working at a hotdog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over the next three decades, Keirans used the stolen identity for personal gain, creating a false persona to accumulate credit and debt under the victim’s name.
The scheme was uncovered in 2019 when the victim, homeless at the time, went into a national bank branch in Los Angeles to report that his identity had been stolen. The victim provided his true identification documents, including a valid Social Security card and California ID, but bank staff were skeptical of his identity. This prompted a police investigation.
Keirans, posing as the real account holder, sent fraudulent documents to law enforcement. This led to the wrongful arrest of the victim, who was charged with felony offenses under Keirans’ name. Despite the victim’s protestations that he was not Keirans, authorities continued to press charges.
The victim was held without bail in the Los Angeles County Jail for 428 days and was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital for 147 days, where he was forcibly medicated. During this time, the victim consistently asserted that he was not Keirans.
The case was finally resolved in 2023 when DNA evidence and further law enforcement investigation proved that Keirans had stolen the victim’s identity. Upon confrontation with the evidence, Keirans confessed to the crime, admitting his involvement in the victim’s wrongful arrest and prosecution.
Keirans’ actions resulted in severe consequences for the victim, who endured wrongful imprisonment and mental health treatment while the true perpetrator remained free. The sentence of 12 years serves as a reminder of the significant impact that identity theft can have on individuals’ lives and the importance of holding criminals accountable for their actions.
Keirans is now serving his sentence for his crimes, and the victim’s case has been reopened as a result of the investigation.
