A Vietnamese man living here illegally who stole the identity of a dead child, using it to work as a firefighter and paramedic, has been sentenced to federal prison.
Truong Nguyen, 50, who has been living in Braintree, was sentenced in Boston federal court to more than two years in prison for passport fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Nguyen stole the identity of a 13-year-old dead child and ultimately used the stolen identity to work as a paramedic and firefighter, attending the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, and securing employment at the Melrose Fire Department in the name of the late child, the feds said.
Nguyen, who pleaded guilty to passport fraud and aggravated identity theft, is subject to deportation following the 25-month sentence.
Back in 1995, he had been ordered deported after being convicted of second-degree burglary.
But Nguyen was not deported to Vietnam. He was later arrested in 2010 for embezzlement and larceny after allegedly stealing more than $46,000 from the Norwell Firefighters Union while working as an officer of the union.
“This defendant has illegally resided in the Unites States for over 30 years, assuming false identities to dodge deportation resulting from a 1991 felony conviction,” Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
“For the last six years, Mr. Nguyen exploited the identity of a deceased child to avoid accountability for a litany of criminal offenses, including attempting to obtain a U.S. passport and falsifying information to become a firefighter,” Foley added. “Such identity fraud undermines the integrity of our identification systems. Our office is committed to holding accountable those who steal American identities and manipulate our public institutions for personal gain.”
Nguyen in 2023 submitted a passport application at the post office in Weymouth, presenting himself to be an individual identified as the dead child.
Then the Boston Passport Agency forwarded his passport application and supporting documents to federal law enforcement, after verifying a death record for the child. The Social Security number, date of birth and parental information provided by Nguyen matched the records for the child who died in 2002. The passport was not issued to the Nguyen.
The feds determined that Nguyen used the child’s identity to obtain and use multiple government-issued identification documents in the child’s name, including Massachusetts driver’s licenses, as well as a Social Security card.
Nguyen also used the child’s identity to obtain an EMT-Basic Certification in 2021 and an EMT-Paramedic Certification in 2023, before applying for employment as a paramedic, again using the stolen identity.
He used the child’s identity to attend the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. After graduating, Nguyen began employment with the Melrose Fire Department in the name of the child, where he worked until his arrest in May 2024.
