A Massachusetts firefighter has been arrested for allegedly stealing the identity of his deceased cousin to obtain identification, employment, and professional certification, according to federal court documents.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office referred to the suspect, whose real identity is unknown, as “John Doe, age unknown, of Quincy.” He was charged with one count each of false statements in a passport application and aggravated identity theft.
Doe allegedly used his dead cousin Henry Huang’s identity to obtain a Social Security Card, a Massachusetts Driver’s License, an EMT-Basic Certification, attended and graduated from a Firefighting Academy, and obtained employment with the Melrose Fire Department, according to the criminal complaint.
In March 2023, Doe applied for a U.S. passport with the late Mr. Huang’s identity. However, according to the charging documents, his mother had already executed a passport application for Mr. Huang in 1989. Therefore, a passport was not issued to Doe. The incident prompted federal investigators to investigate the matter, and they found a verified death record that listed Mr. Huang’s death as 2002 and with biographical information matching that of Doe’s passport application.
During the investigation, facial recognition also allegedly identified a second Massachusetts driver’s license issued to Doe under the name of “Truong Nguyen.” The complaint documents say Nguyen “may be the possible true identity of Doe.”
According to the court documents, Mr. Nguyen entered the United States from Vietnam in 1979 as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) but had his status revoked and was ordered to be deported in 1991 following a second-degree burglary conviction. But he was never physically deported. In 2010, Nguyen was arrested again for embezzlement and larceny for allegedly stealing over $46,000 from the Norwell Firefighters Union while working as an officer for the union.
After Doe obtained the driver’s license under the name of Mr. Huang, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) conducted a fraud hearing in 2018. A “facial recognition hit” determined that Doe had been issued another license under Mr. Nguyen.
According to the court documents, Doe told RMV officials that Mr. Huang was his true identity and that he had stolen his cousin Mr. Nguyen’s identity. The RMV believed his explanations and closed the case.
If convicted, Doe faces up to 10 years in prison for false statements in a passport application, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. For aggravated identity theft, Doe could face a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
