A veteran has been charged with wearing medals for valor that he never received, according to a criminal complaint filed yesterday.

The veteran, Louis Lowell McGuinn, allegedly wore some of the highest decorations awarded by the U.S, military, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star, according to the filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan made by an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jason Randazzo.

The decorations attracted attention. At the end of last year, an official at the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, & Airmen Club in Manhattan noticed that Mr. McGuinn was wearing the decorations incorrectly, according to Mr. Randazzo’s complaint.

The suspicions were passed on to law enforcement; in the subsequent investigation, FBI agents inspected photographs from social functions Mr. McGuinn attended. The photographs allegedly show Mr. McGuinn wearing the medals on his uniform at events that took place at such venues as the Hotel Pierre and the Merchant Marine Academy, according to the court filing.

Mr. McGuinn faces up to a year in prison if convicted of wearing the service medals improperly, prosecutors say.

Neither Mr. McGuinn nor his attorney, Paul Dalnoky, could be reached for comment last night.

Although Mr. McGuinn allegedly left the military as a private in 1968, he claimed to be a lieutenant colonel at the events, according to the filing.

When questioned by the FBI about his rank and medals, Mr. McGuinn said he wanted to reinvent himself to assist with employment, according to Mr. Randazzo’s court filing. Mr. McGuinn also claimed, according to the filing, that an organization called the “Special Forces Group” had offered him the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Confirmation of Mr. McGuinn’s military service was unavailable yesterday evening. The defendant works as a consultant at an underwater marine security agency, Codaoctopus USA, according to the filing.