Boston teacher accused of using dead brother's identity to conceal arrests

By Globe Staff

A middle school physical education teacher who used his dead brother's identity for 10 years to escape arrest on numerous criminal charges has been suspended from his job, Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman for the Boston public schools, said last night.

Police say Richard Young, a teacher in Boston schools for 20 years, was arrested last week in Hingham on suspicion of drunken driving. Young identified himself as Robert Young, but a subsequent fingerprint analysis found him to be Richard Young, who is wanted by Braintree, Wareham, and State Police on a variety of charges, including felony motor vehicle theft.

Young used his real identity when applying to be a teacher in Boston, but school officials say his lengthy employment with the system meant he wasn't subject to a preemployment background check. School officials said yesterday that all employees who haven't yet undergone the checks will, but over 1,000 unchecked teachers and administrators remain working.

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