U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman answers questions during a news conference regarding Brian Rini, at the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office in downtown Cincinnati Friday, April 5, 2019. Rini, a 23-year-old ex-convict accused of pulling a cruel hoax by pretending to be Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6, was charged Friday with making false statements to authorities. (Meg Vogel/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
CINCINNATI 鈥� A 23-year-old ex-convict accused of pulling a cruel hoax by pretending to be a long-missing Illinois boy was charged Friday with making false statements to federal authorities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Brian Rini had made false claims twice before, portraying himself as a juvenile sex-trafficking victim.
The Medina, Ohio, man was jailed in Cincinnati on Thursday, a day after telling authorities he was 14-year-old Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. The FBI declared Rini鈥檚 story a hoax after performing a DNA test.
The charge should send a message about the damage such false claims can do, said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not OK to do it because of the harm that it causes, the pain, for the family of that missing child,鈥� Glassman said.
Rini鈥檚 story had briefly raised hope among Timmothy鈥檚 relatives that the youngster鈥檚 disappearance had finally been solved after eight long years. But those hopes were dashed when the test results came back.
鈥淚t鈥檚 devastating. It鈥檚 like reliving that day all over again,鈥� said Timmothy鈥檚 aunt Kara Jacobs.
Rini was jailed for a bail hearing on Tuesday. His public defender did not immediately return a message. Rini could get up to eight years in prison.
Rini was found wandering the streets on Wednesday and told authorities he had just escaped his captors after years of abuse, officials said. He claimed he had been forced to have sex with men, according to the FBI.
When confronted with the DNA results, Rini acknowledged his identity, saying he had watched a story about Timmothy on ABC鈥檚 鈥�20/20鈥� and wanted to get away from his own family, the FBI said.
Rini said 鈥渉e wished he had a father like Timmothy鈥檚 because if he went missing, his father would just keep drinking,鈥� the FBI said in court papers. A message left with Rini鈥檚 father for comment was not immediately returned.
Glassman said authorities were skeptical early on of Rini鈥檚 claim because he refused to be fingerprinted, though he did agree to a DNA swab. Rini also looks older than 14, but Glassman said investigators wanted to make sure 鈥渢here was no opportunity missed to actually find Timmothy Pitzen.鈥�
Rini鈥檚 DNA was already on file because of his criminal record. He was released from prison less than a month ago after serving more than a year for burglary and vandalism.
He twice portrayed himself in Ohio as a juvenile victim of sex trafficking, and in each case was identified after being fingerprinted, authorities said.
In 2017, Rini was treated at an Ohio center for people with mental health or substance abuse problems, according to court papers.
Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois, vanished after his mother pulled him out of kindergarten, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: 鈥淵ou will never find him.鈥�
After Rini鈥檚 account was pronounced a hoax, Timmothy鈥檚 grandmother Alana Anderson said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been awful. We鈥檝e been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. It鈥檚 just been exhausting.鈥�
She added, 鈥淚 feel so sorry for the young man who鈥檚 obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was somebody else.鈥� /jpv