Former Melrose firefighter who stole dead teens identity sentenced to prison

Truong Nguyen, age 50, was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison for stealing the identity of a deceased teenager to work as a paramedic and firefighter. His actions allowed him to evade deportation for nearly two decades following a felony conviction. Nguyen, who entered the U. S. from Vietnam in 1979, had his legal status revoked in 1995 after a second-degree burglary conviction.

He used the identity of a 13-year-old who died in 2002 to obtain multiple government IDs, including a Social Security card and driver’s licenses. Nguyen further exploited this identity to gain EMT certifications and work at the Melrose Fire Department. An investigation commenced after he submitted a passport application using the teen's identity in 2023, which led to federal law enforcement's involvement. U. S.

Attorney Leah Foley stated that Nguyen has lived illegally in the U. S. for over 30 years, using false identities to avoid accountability. After completing his sentence, Nguyen will face deportation.