To prove stolen valor, you need to show two things: that the person falsely claimed one of the specific military decorations covered by federal law, and that they made the claim to obtain money, property, or another tangible benefit. Bragging alone is not a federal crime. The case gets built by verifying the service record through official channels, capturing the false claim in a form that survives deletion, and connecting that claim to something of value the person received or tried to receive.
What the Law Actually Criminalizes
The Stolen Valor Act of 2013, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 704(b), makes it a federal crime to fraudulently hold yourself out as a recipient of certain military decorations with the intent to obtain money, property, or another tangible benefit.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 704 – Military Medals or Decorations The covered awards are:
- Congressional Medal of Honor
- Distinguished Service Cross (Army)
- Navy Cross
- Air Force Cross
- Silver Star
- Purple Heart
- Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Combat Action Badge, Combat Action Ribbon, and Combat Action Medal2GovInfo. Stolen Valor Act of 2013
A claim about service the person never performed, or a rank they never held, does not by itself fit the statute unless it also involves one of these decorations. And the tangible-benefit element is not decorative. Someone lying at a bar about a Purple Heart, with nothing to gain from it, is not committing a federal crime. The moment the same lie is used to collect donations, land a veteran hiring preference, claim VA benefits, obtain a military discount, or win a set-aside contract, the conduct crosses into what the statute reaches.
Other federal laws may apply alongside it. Impersonating a federal officer or employee under 18 U.S.C. § 912 carries up to three years in prison.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 912 – Officer or Employee of the United States False credentials used to win Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business contracts can trigger suspension, debarment, and penalties under the Small Business Act.4eCFR. 13 CFR 128.600 – Penalties for Misrepresentation of VOSB or SDVOSB Status Fraud aimed at VA benefits gets investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General.
Verify the Service Claim Through Official Channels
Before you build a case, confirm the claim is actually false. Federal law limits what can be released from a military personnel file without the service member’s authorization, but the releasable list is exactly what you need: name, dates and branch of service, rank, duty assignments, military education, awards and decorations, and home state of record.5Military OneSource. Service Member Privacy vs Public Access to Information
DMDC for Current Service
The Defense Manpower Data Center runs an online verification service that will tell you whether someone is currently on active duty. It’s available around the clock but requires the person’s Social Security number, or their date of birth and last name.6Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Verification of Military Service That makes it more practical for an employer verifying an applicant than a stranger checking someone at a fundraiser.
National Personnel Records Center for Past Service
The NPRC in St. Louis holds official military personnel files. For anyone who separated within the last 62 years, requests generally must come from the veteran or next of kin using Standard Form 180, and the general public can only obtain limited information from those restricted records. Records older than 62 years are archival and open to anyone for a flat copying fee: $25 for files of five pages or fewer, $70 for longer files.7National Archives. Request Military Service Records
For most modern stolen valor situations, you will not have the person’s SSN and will not get a full file. What you can often confirm is the negative: a request that returns no record of the specific decoration claimed is itself powerful evidence.
Build the Evidence File
Strong evidence is the difference between a report that gets worked and one that sits in a queue. Investigators need to see the false claim itself, in a form that cannot be deleted out from under them, and they need context.
Capture the False Claims
Screenshots of social media posts are the most common form of evidence, because people making false military claims tend to do it publicly and repeatedly. Capture full screenshots showing the profile name, the date and time, and the complete text. Record the URL. If the person deletes the post later, the screenshot is what survives.
Preserve video or audio recordings of speeches, interviews, or in-person conversations where the claims are made. Save photos of the person wearing unearned medals, unauthorized uniforms, or displaying fake credentials. Details that veterans notice quickly — incorrect ribbon placement, uniform combinations that don’t exist, awards inconsistent with the claimed branch or era — help investigators assess credibility fast.
Collect Witness Statements
Anyone who directly heard or saw the false claims can write a statement. A useful statement records exactly what was said, when, where, and the surrounding context. Multiple witnesses strengthen a report, particularly if they encountered the claims independently on different occasions.
Prove the Tangible Benefit
This element is where cases succeed or fail. The statute requires proof the false claim was made with intent to obtain something of value.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 704 – Military Medals or Decorations Document anything showing the person solicited donations by claiming decorated status, obtained a veteran hiring preference, drew VA benefits, claimed military discounts, or won a contract set aside for veteran-owned businesses. A GoFundMe page, a resume, a solicitation email, employment records, contract awards, benefit records — any of these tie the lie to the payoff. Without that link, the strongest documentation of the lie itself does not add up to a federal crime.
Where to Report
Once you have evidence of both a false claim about a covered decoration and a connection to a tangible benefit, send it to the agency that fits the conduct.
FBI
The FBI handles federal criminal investigations, including Stolen Valor Act cases, and the National Archives directs stolen valor complaints to the FBI as the primary resource.8National Archives. Military Records Fraud Fact Sheet Submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov or contact your local field office through the directory at fbi.gov.9Federal Bureau of Investigation. Contact Us
VA Office of Inspector General
When the fraud targets VA benefits — disability compensation, GI Bill education benefits, health care, or housing assistance — the VA OIG is the right agency. It investigates a range of crimes involving VA programs and benefits fraud10Department of Veterans Affairs OIG. Crime Alerts and Fraud Resources and accepts complaints through an online hotline.11Department of Veterans Affairs OIG. OIG Hotline
Military Investigative Units
If the person is impersonating a current member of a specific branch, contact that branch’s investigators:
- Army Criminal Investigation Division accepts tips through its portal at cid.army.mil.12U.S. Army. Submit a Tip
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service accepts anonymous, confidential tips online at ncis.navy.mil, and an agent follows up for more information.13Naval Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS Tips
- Air Force Office of Special Investigations accepts anonymous tips online and issues a unique tip number so you can check status later.14Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Submit a Tip
What Every Report Should Include
Include the individual’s name and location, the specific awards or service claimed, all supporting evidence (screenshots, recordings, witness statements), the dates and context of the false claims, and any documentation tying the claims to money or benefits received. Organized evidence gives investigators a reason to move your report to the top.
Penalties You’re Helping to Trigger
A Stolen Valor Act conviction carries up to one year in prison, a fine, or both, and the maximum is the same whether the claimed award is a Purple Heart or the Medal of Honor.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 704 – Military Medals or Decorations Add a § 912 impersonation charge and the exposure climbs to three years.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 912 – Officer or Employee of the United States Several states have their own stolen valor statutes that stack additional penalties on top of the federal ones.
Protect Yourself Before Going Public
Accusing the wrong person creates real harm and can expose you to a defamation suit. Truth is an absolute defense, but only if you can actually prove it, and a hunch that a story doesn’t add up will not carry that burden.
Verify what you can through official channels first. Document your evidence thoroughly. Report to law enforcement rather than running a public campaign, and let investigators do their work. If you do discuss your concerns with others, stay with verifiable facts (“he claimed a Silver Star, and the NPRC has no record of that award”) and away from characterizations (“he’s a fraud”). The safer path in almost every case is to route the evidence to the FBI, the VA OIG, or the appropriate service investigator and let the outcome come from them.