Melrose, MA firefighter stole identity of dead man, Henry Huang – NBC Boston

A man served as a firefighter in Melrose, Massachusetts, under the name of a dead man whose identity he stole, federal court documents show.

The firefighter, whom federal prosecutors are calling John Doe because they are unsure of his true identity, is accused of aggravated identity theft and making false statements when applying for a passport, according to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal district court. He was arraigned on Thursday.

The firefighter held a Massachusetts driver’s license in the name of Henry Huang and applied for a U.S. passport under that name in March 2023, prompting a State Department investigation – a review revealed that Huang had died in 2002, according to an affidavit from a U.S. Diplomatic Security Service investigator.

In January, the city of Melrose congratulated Melrose firefighter Henry Huang on graduating from the state fire academy, and in February, state Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian shared a photo of her and Melrose firefighter Henry Huang after he received an award for graduating. The man attended the academy from November to January and graduated on Jan. 22 under a false identity, according to the affidavit.

The real Henry Huang died in Boston, according to the affidavit.

NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Melrose Fire Department for comment. The fire department is currently looking for a new chief. When asked about the case, Lipper-Garabedian told NBC10 Boston that she trusts the city and prosecutors.

Melrose Mayor Jen Grigoraitis said in a statement that she was notified of the arrest of a fire department employee on Thursday and that he was immediately placed on leave.

“As a matter of policy, the city does not comment or disclose details on personnel matters,” Grigoraitis said, referring further questions to federal prosecutors.

It was not immediately clear whether Huang had a lawyer who could respond to the allegations. No one was available at an address listed for him on Friday. He appeared in court on Thursday to face the charges.

The man obtained a birth certificate and Social Security card for Huang in 2018, then obtained a driver’s license in Massachusetts and applied to be a paramedic in Fall River, the affidavit states. Investigators found he had previously been charged with fraud for applying for a driver’s license under the names Truong Nguyen and then Huang. At a fraud hearing before the Registry of Motor Vehicles, he claimed Huang was his true identity and Nguyen was his cousin’s, resulting in a six-month license suspension.

The man may actually be Nguyen, but according to the affidavit, his FBI file contains two other names with different birth dates. Nguyen’s papers indicate he is a legal permanent resident who came to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1979, about four years after his birth.

Nguyen was convicted of second-degree burglary in 1991 and deported four years later for failing to appear for a hearing. However, according to the affidavit, he was not deported. In 2010, he was arrested for allegedly stealing $46,000 from the Norwell Firefighters Union, where he was an official.

NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office for more information on the 2010 case and has contacted the Norwell Fire Department Chief for more information on the case there.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Fire Department said the agency is cooperating with the federal government’s investigation and referring questions to the state attorney general’s office.