Wharton NJ police arrested a man who allegedly committed fraud when he lied about his military service record.

According to Wharton officials, the suspect said that he was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. Additionally, the suspect allegedly lied about his military record so that he could wrongfully obtain a new deck for his home. The deck reportedly had a value of more than $30K.

The Wharton Police Department started an investigation after getting a report that the suspect was falsely claiming to be a war hero.

The suspect reportedly told many people that he held the rank of sergeant in the U.S. Army. However, investigators learned that the suspect was never a POW at any point during the Vietnam War. Beyond that, said police, the suspect had the rank of private at the time of his discharge from the military.

The 66-year-old suspect, who resides in Mine Hill, New Jersey, faces criminal charges for theft by deception because he allegedly used his military status in order to get a free deck for his house. The suspect’s neighbor built the deck in December 2013 after the suspect’s house sustained serious damage during Superstorm Sandy.

Moreover, the suspect allegedly obtained a hunting item by lying about his military record.

Authorities also said that the suspect lied about his military rank in order to get a Distinguished Service Medal in May 2015 as part of Memorial Day celebrations.

The suspect was also charged with violating the New Jersey Stolen Valor Act.

After being placed under arrest and charged, the suspect was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown, New Jersey. He was being held at the correctional facility in lieu of $25,000 bail.

For further information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “N.J. Man Lied About Being a POW, Wrongfully Received $30K Deck, Cops Say.”