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Man Who Claimed Medals May Have Fudged Past

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) -- A Nebraska man who was honored for having won a series of military medals will have to answer to a charge he lied about his record. 

According to information filed in a Maryland federal court Aaron Lawless claimed to have won four Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. As a result of his claims, the gun manufacturer Glock gave Lawless an award in 2008, giving him plane tickets to a Las Vegas, hotel accommodations and two pistols. 

But federal officials who investigated Lawless' claims found they were false according to a complaint filed Thursday. Under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, falsely claiming to have earned a military medal is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. Lawless had previously worked at a Maryland gun store. 

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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