A federal appeals court has upheld a 12-year prison sentence for a Wisconsin man who stole another person's identity for decades and manipulated the criminal justice system to have his victim jailed and forcibly medicated.

The case centers on the accusation that Keirans' theft of William Woods' identity began in the late 1980s, when the two men worked together at a hot dog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Woods said Keirans stole his wallet in 1988, but returned it after Woods threatened to punch him. But while Keirans had possession of Woods' wallet, he used the information on Woods' social security card to apply for a driver's license as William Woods.

Court records show Keirans used Woods' identity to build a new life — marrying, having a child, opening bank accounts, obtaining credit, and working at the University of Iowa Hospital, where he earned more than $100,000 a year as an IT administrator. Court documents indicate that, when Woods tried to reclaim his identity in 2019, Keirans convinced police that Woods was the imposter. Woods was arrested and charged with identity theft and false impersonation.

Woods spent 428 days in jail and 147 days in a state mental hospital, where he received medication after a judge found him not competent to stand trial. He was convicted in March 2021 and ordered by the court to use what it believed was his true name: Matthew Keirans. After his release, Woods continued fighting to reclaim his identity. In January 2023, he contacted the University of Iowa Hospital, where Keirans worked. A detective investigating Woods' complaint used DNA evidence to prove Woods was telling the truth. When confronted with the DNA results in July 2023, Keirans admitted he had used Woods' identity for decades, produced false documents, and lied to law enforcement.