Furious hot dog cart vendor whose identity was stolen by hospital exec reveals ... trends now
A man who had his identity stolen and spent two years behind bars has said he was put in jail 'for nothing', as his former colleague pleads guilty to using his personal information.
William Woods, 55, was arrested and charged with identity theft and unauthorized use of personal information in 2019.
He went on to plead no contest in a Los Angeles court in exchange for a time-served sentence and immediate release from custody.
Last week, Matthew David Keirans pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, after stealing critical personal information from Woods in 1988 when they worked a hot dog stand together.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Woods told the outlet he is considering a lawsuit for the years he spent in prison for a crime he did not commit.
William Woods, 55, was arrested and charged with identity theft and unauthorized use of personal information in 2019
Matthew David Keirans pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, after stealing the identity of Woods in 1988 when they worked a hot dog stand together
He told the outlet: 'They should pay for every day I had to stay there. It isn’t right to be putting me in jail for nothing.'
The two had worked together at the stand in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1988 and did not interact until Woods' wallet went missing, he told the outlet.
After Woods questioned Keirans' over the disappearance, the other man did not respond.
He added: 'I put my fist in his face, and he decided to hand me back my wallet.'
Checking the contents, he said he noticed his Social Security and birth certificate were still safely inside.
He continued: 'I didn't think anything of it. I didn't think he was actually going to do anything.'
Despite this, Kierans went on to steal his name and identity and used it 'in every aspect of his life' for the next three decades, according to court documents.
In 1990, Keirans got a fake Colorado ID under Woods’ name and birthday and used it to get a job at a fast-food restaurant and a Colorado bank account.
He then bought a car for $600 in 1991, also using Woods' name, with two $300 checks that bounced.
Kierans went on to steal his name and identity and used it 'in every aspect of his life' for the next three decades, according to court documents
After Woods questioned Keirans' over the disappearance of his wallet, the other man did not respond
Keirans drove to Idaho where the stolen car broke down and abandoned it, withdrawing all of his money from the Colorado account and leaving the state.
From there, his fraud ramped up and in 1994, still using Woods' name, Keirans got married and had a child, who he gave the surname Woods.
He then moved to Wisconsin and obtained a copy of Woods' birth certificate using information about his family he found on Ancestry.com.
In 2013, he got a job as a systems architect in the the University of Iowa Hospital's IT department.
He worked there for the next 10 years, earning more than $700,000 in total, and by 2023, his salary was $140,501, according to the hospital.
Over the years he took out multiple vehicle and personal loans from Iowa credit unions under Woods' name, worth more than $200,000.
Meanwhile, the real Woods was living homeless
