KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An Independence, Mo., man pleaded guilty Tuesday to unauthorized wearing of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Ralph Ervin Crowder, 46, was originally charged in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with impersonating an officer and a military hero.

He had been telling people he was a highly decorated Navy SEAL in Vietnam and had been awarded the Medal of Honor. Neither was true.

Crowder also pleaded guilty Tuesday to the possession and production of false identification documents and the possession of an identification document-making device.

During the investigation, Crowder admitted he never served in the Navy and had bought a uniform and medals from a surplus store in Albuquerque, N.M., the complaint said.

Crowder could face up to 34 years in prison plus a fine up to $850,000.

Crowder also was arrested earlier this year on a Cole County warrant dating to 1979 when he allegedly violated his probation on a 1978 charge of passing a bad check. Authorities said Crowder apparently avoided arrest for more than two decades by using different identities.