The protagonist of the colorful case was Xavier Alvarez, who among other things falsely claimed to have played hockey for the Detroit Red Wings and to have married a Mexican starlet. Alvarez got in trouble after being elected to the Three Valleys Water District Board in Claremont, Calif. At his first meeting, Alvarez introduced himself by saying, "I'm a retired Marine of 25 years. I retired in the year 2001. Back in 1987, I was awarded the congressional Medal of Honor. I got wounded many times by the same guy."