An Iowa hospital administrator, Matthew David Keirans, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for a three-decade-long identity theft scheme. The 59-year-old from Hartland, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty on April 1, 2024, to charges of making a false statement to a national credit union administration insured institution and aggravated identity theft.

Keirans assumed the identity of a former coworker from Albuquerque, New Mexico, using it to create false documents including a Kentucky birth certificate. He secured employment as an administrator at an Iowa City hospital in 2013 using these fraudulent documents and worked remotely from Wisconsin.

From March 2014 to May 2022, Keirans used his victim's identity to obtain loans exceeding $250,000 from two credit unions in Iowa. He also maintained bank accounts under the victim’s name. In August 2019, when the victim attempted to close these accounts in Los Angeles due to mounting debt he did not incur, he was arrested based on false information provided by Keirans.

Keirans’ actions led to his victim being wrongfully imprisoned and hospitalized. A California state court declared the victim mentally incompetent for trial and ordered him into psychiatric care until March 2021 when he pled "no contest" for release.

The case came to light after the victim contacted security at the Iowa City hospital where Keirans worked. Detective Ian Mallory conducted an investigation that revealed DNA evidence proving Keirans' deceit. In July 2023, confronted with this evidence, Keirans confessed.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Keirans in Cedar Rapids and described his actions as “egregious,” “callous,” and “Kafkaesque.” United States Attorney Timothy T. Duax stated that "Keirans spent decades pretending to be someone he was not," highlighting how he manipulated the justice system against his victim.

Detective Mallory was commended by University of Iowa Police Chief Lucy Wiederholt for his dedication in uncovering the truth behind this complex case. Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha office praised local law enforcement efforts that brought an end to Keirans' fraudulent activities.

Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek prosecuted the case with investigations conducted by both the FBI and University of Iowa Police Department.