William Woods was very surprised when he found out that he has a wife, a child and debts for 130 thousand dollars.
One of the largest cases of identity theft in recent American history has been solved in the state of Iowa. The administrator of a large hospital chain, Matthew Kieranns, admitted that for more than 30 years he posed as another person-William Donald Woods. Having appropriated other people's data, Kieranns took out loans, issued insurance, got a job and even started a family.
Kieranns and Woods met in 1988 while working together at a small hot dog stand in New Mexico. Already in 1990, Kieranns first illegally took possession of Woods ' identity card to get a position at The Denver Post.
The following year, the fraudster bought a car, paying fake checks on behalf of Woods in the amount of $600. When the hoax came to light, Kieranns fled with the stolen car to Idaho and abandoned it. Woods was then placed on the federal wanted list.
In the following years, the dodgy criminal hid in different states, but continued to use someone else's identity for rental housing and other vital needs. After some time, he got married and had a child.
In 2012, the man moved to Wisconsin. To reinforce his story, he studied Woods ' family history at the University of Chicago. Ancestry.com and then stole his official birth certificate from the Kentucky archives. In 2013, using forged documents, a fraudster managed to get a job at the University clinic of Iowa City for a highly paid position as an administrator of the IT department.
In this position for a decade, Kieranns earned about 700 thousand dollars. At the same time, he continued to build up debts on behalf of Woods, taking out eight large loans from two credit unions - each in the amount of 15 to 44 thousand dollars.
The situation reached a critical point in 2019, when the real William Woods, by then homeless, discovered that a debt of 130 thousand dollars had accumulated in his name, and went to one of the banks in Los Angeles to find out what was going on.
At the bank, Woods presented his real ID and social security certificate. However, when he could not answer the secret questions about the accounts that Kieranns had previously set up, the bank employee called the fraudster himself. He provided all the necessary information, convincing the bank and the police that the real Woods is an impostor.
Then the innocent William Woods was arrested on charges of identity theft. He spent 428 days behind bars and 147 more days being forcibly held in a psychiatric clinic, undergoing compulsory medical treatment.
The fact is that the investigation was never able to establish his true identity. Woods was released only after a government lawyer assigned to him declared that he was insane and unfit to stand trial.
A desperate Woods continued to unsuccessfully try to prove his innocence. But Kieranns systematically misled law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and California with false statements.
Only in January 2023, after contacting the security service of the hospital where Kieranns worked, a new check was carried out. An experienced private investigator conducted a DNA test, comparing the genetic material of Woods and his father.
Kieranns was forced to confess to his many years of crimes. According to the court decision, he faces up to 32 years in prison and a fine of $ 1.25 million. He is obligated to pay damages to Woods, credit unions and other victims, as well as to help restore the credit history and good name of his victim.
One of the largest cases of identity theft in recent American history has been solved in the state of Iowa. The administrator of a large hospital chain, Matthew Kieranns, admitted that for more than 30 years he posed as another person-William Donald Woods. Having appropriated other people's data, Kieranns took out loans, issued insurance, got a job and even started a family.
Kieranns and Woods met in 1988 while working together at a small hot dog stand in New Mexico. Already in 1990, Kieranns first illegally took possession of Woods ' identity card to get a position at The Denver Post.
The following year, the fraudster bought a car, paying fake checks on behalf of Woods in the amount of $600. When the hoax came to light, Kieranns fled with the stolen car to Idaho and abandoned it. Woods was then placed on the federal wanted list.
In the following years, the dodgy criminal hid in different states, but continued to use someone else's identity for rental housing and other vital needs. After some time, he got married and had a child.
In 2012, the man moved to Wisconsin. To reinforce his story, he studied Woods ' family history at the University of Chicago. Ancestry.com and then stole his official birth certificate from the Kentucky archives. In 2013, using forged documents, a fraudster managed to get a job at the University clinic of Iowa City for a highly paid position as an administrator of the IT department.
In this position for a decade, Kieranns earned about 700 thousand dollars. At the same time, he continued to build up debts on behalf of Woods, taking out eight large loans from two credit unions - each in the amount of 15 to 44 thousand dollars.
The situation reached a critical point in 2019, when the real William Woods, by then homeless, discovered that a debt of 130 thousand dollars had accumulated in his name, and went to one of the banks in Los Angeles to find out what was going on.
At the bank, Woods presented his real ID and social security certificate. However, when he could not answer the secret questions about the accounts that Kieranns had previously set up, the bank employee called the fraudster himself. He provided all the necessary information, convincing the bank and the police that the real Woods is an impostor.
Then the innocent William Woods was arrested on charges of identity theft. He spent 428 days behind bars and 147 more days being forcibly held in a psychiatric clinic, undergoing compulsory medical treatment.
The fact is that the investigation was never able to establish his true identity. Woods was released only after a government lawyer assigned to him declared that he was insane and unfit to stand trial.
A desperate Woods continued to unsuccessfully try to prove his innocence. But Kieranns systematically misled law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and California with false statements.
Only in January 2023, after contacting the security service of the hospital where Kieranns worked, a new check was carried out. An experienced private investigator conducted a DNA test, comparing the genetic material of Woods and his father.
Kieranns was forced to confess to his many years of crimes. According to the court decision, he faces up to 32 years in prison and a fine of $ 1.25 million. He is obligated to pay damages to Woods, credit unions and other victims, as well as to help restore the credit history and good name of his victim.
