MELROSE – A Melrose firefighter has been arrested and charged with stealing a dead teenager’s identity.
In court documents released this week, a federal agent said the man used the name and Social Security number of teenager Henry Huang when he signed up as a paramedic and when he joined the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. The government calls the man “John Doe” because they are unsure of his real name. Huang was born in 1989 and died in 2002.
When he signed up as a paramedic, he reportedly used a driver’s license with Huang’s name and date of birth. He graduated from the academy in January 2024 and was hired by the Melrose Fire Department the same month.
City of Melrose
Accused of fraud while applying for a passport
He is also accused of using Huang’s name to apply for a passport in 2023. Doe was denied a passport and the Boston Passport Agency contacted the State Department after their fraud prevention manager found a death certificate for Huang. Biographical information on the death certificate matched the passport application.
The federal agent said Doe was involved in a fraud hearing with the RMV in 2018, where he was accused of using two driver’s licenses, one under Huang’s name and under the name Truong Nguyen, who was born in 1975. Doe said Nguyen was his cousin and his license under the name Huang had been suspended for six months.
Criminal history by another name
Doe has a criminal past. He was convicted of second-degree burglary in October 1991. He was deported to Vietnam in 1995, but never went there. He was also arrested in 2010 under the name Truong Nguyen for allegedly stealing more than $46,000 from the Norwell Firefighters Union while working as a firefighter for that department.
Melrose Mayor Jen Grigoraitis said Doe has been placed on leave.
