Former Massachusetts Firefighter Sentenced Prison Identity Theft Dead Child

Truong Nguyen, a Vietnamese national residing illegally in Braintree, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison for stealing the identity of a deceased 13-year-old and using it to work as a paramedic and firefighter. Nguyen obtained multiple government-issued IDs, including a Massachusetts driver’s license and Social Security card, under the victim’s name, and used these credentials to gain EMT certifications and employment at the Melrose Fire Department. He also attended the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy under the stolen identity and previously worked as an officer for the Norwell Firefighters Union, where he was accused of embezzling more than $46,000. Despite a deportation order in 1995 following a burglary conviction, Nguyen evaded immigration enforcement for over three decades by assuming false identities. His passport application in 2023 using the stolen identity triggered the investigation that led to his arrest in May 2024. Upon completing his prison sentence, Nguyen will be subject to deportation proceedings, with authorities emphasizing the case's significance in protecting the integrity of national identification systems and public institutions.