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Matthew David Keirans
Born	Matthew David Keirans 1966 California, U.S.
Occupation	IT worker (under stolen identity)
Employer(s)	University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (fraudulently, 2013–2023)
Known for	Decades-long identity theft of William Woods
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Motive	Personal financial gain; avoid prosecution under his real identity
Conviction	Guilty plea (April 1, 2024)
Criminal charge	Identity theft, making false statements
Penalty	12 years in federal prison
Details
Span of crimes	1988–2023
Country	United States
States	New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Wisconsin, Iowa, California
Date apprehended	2023

Matthew David Keirans is an American convicted felon who stole the identity of William Woods for over three decades, using it to obtain employment, credit, and legal documentation. Keirans, who began using Woods’s identity in 1988, fraudulently accumulated financial benefits, including employment as an IT architect at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In 2019, when Woods attempted to close fraudulent accounts in his name, Keirans manipulated law enforcement into arresting Woods, resulting in Woods spending over 400 days in jail and 147 days in a mental hospital. Keirans continued his deception until 2023, when DNA evidence confirmed Woods’s true identity. In 2024, Keirans pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraud and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.

Identity theft scheme

In 1990, Keirans fraudulently obtained a Colorado state ID under Woods’s name. Over the years, he used Woods’s identity to acquire credit, bank accounts, and insurance. In 2013, Keirans secured employment as a systems architect at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, earning over $140,000 per year under Woods’s name. Keirans’s deception extended to personal aspects of his life. He married under Woods’s name and had a child, who carried the Woods surname. He even paid taxes and accumulated more than $700,000 in income under the stolen identity.

In 2019, Woods, who was homeless and living in Los Angeles, discovered that $130,000 in debt had been fraudulently accumulated in his name. When he went to a bank to close the accounts, Keirans intervened, successfully convincing authorities that Woods was the fraudster. Woods was arrested and charged with identity theft and impersonation. He spent 428 days in jail and an additional 147 days in a mental hospital after being declared incompetent to stand trial. During his incarceration, Keirans actively contacted prosecutors, pushing for Woods’s continued detention. In 2021, Woods pleaded no contest to identity theft in exchange for his release. The court ordered him to use the name "Matthew Keirans," further legitimizing the fraudster's deception.

Discovery and Conviction

Woods did not give up his efforts to reclaim his identity. In 2023, he contacted the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where Keirans was employed. The hospital launched an investigation, which led to law enforcement involvement [2]. Detective Ian Mallory from the University of Iowa police investigated Woods’s claims. He secured a DNA test from Woods and his father in Kentucky, conclusively proving Woods’s true identity [4]. Confronted with the evidence, Keirans admitted to the decades-long fraud, stating, "My life is over" [2]. On April 1, 2024, Keirans pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraud. His fraudulent actions led to his sentencing to 12 years in prison [4].

Woods has since sought to rebuild his life, exploring legal options for compensation for his wrongful incarceration and identity theft. His case serves as a cautionary tale about identity theft, wrongful conviction, and systemic failures in law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

Timeline

Date	Event
1988	William Woods and Matthew David Keirans meet while working at a hot dog stand in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1990	Keirans fraudulently obtains a Colorado state ID card under Woods’s name and opens a bank account, beginning long-term identity theft.
2019	Woods, living in Los Angeles, discovers that over $130,000 in debt had been accumulated in his name. He attempts to close the fraudulent accounts, but Keirans falsely reports Woods as the identity thief.
2019 – 2021	Woods is arrested for identity theft and impersonation, spends over 400 days in jail, and is declared incompetent to stand trial. He ultimately pleads no contest and is released with time served.
2023	Woods contacts the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where Keirans works under Woods’s identity. An investigation leads to DNA evidence confirming Woods’s true identity.
April 1, 2024	Keirans pleads guilty to identity theft and fraud in federal court.
April 11, 2024	Woods’s wrongful conviction is vacated by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, and the District Attorney’s Office dismisses his case.

Premise

forthcoming

Conception

McMutry wrote the novel after finishing college at Northwestern State, writing at least 5-pages each morning. Shortly thereafter, the novel was sold to the movies for $10,000 in proceeds. In reflecting on the memoir, he wrote: "The publication so long awaited for, was anti-climatic".

Analysis

In the book Southern Writers at Century's end, Folks and Perkins write that Horseman, Pass by “tells a story characteristic of much contemporary Western fiction: a young man's initiation into manhood.” Hud represents the modern cowboy who is fenced out of his old range, whose mythological roots are dying, and who responds with range and violence."

However, Horseman, Pass By eschews the typical formula of the Western novel up until that time, opting for a more realistic portrait of the modern cowboy after the settling of the Old West. Bloodworth writes that "the landscape of the Old West exists primarily in the dreams and fantasies of the main characters".

Characters

Homer Bannon- old cowman who represented the old, ranching way of life. He has no interest in the oil fields springing up in the surrounding property.

Hud - the stepson of Homer Bannon, who represents modern life and wants to turn the ranch into oil rig place