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Ohio man due in federal court on false claim about child

Posted April 09, 2019 7:00 am

By DAN SEWELL

This undated photo provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Cincinnati shows Brian Rini. A day of false hope has given way to questions about why Rini would claim to be an Illinois boy who disappeared eight years ago. The FBI declared Rini's story a hoax Thursday, April 4, 2019, one day after he identified himself to authorities as Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) - A 23-year-old man faces a U.S. magistrate Tuesday on a charge that he lied to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois.

Authorities on Friday charged Brian Michael Rini of Medina, Ohio, a day after DNA testing ruled him out as being Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. Magistrate Karen Litkovitz had him held without bond pending a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

A jail lists him as 5 feet, 9 inches (175 centimeters), tall and 145 pounds (65.7 kilograms).

Police picked up Rini the morning of April 3 after a report of someone wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers after years of sexual abuse.

Police took him to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for treatment and testing. Federal authorities have said they were skeptical, especially after he refused to be fingerprinted, but didn't want to miss a chance to possibly solve the Pitzen disappearance.

The FBI said DNA testing ruled him out as Timmothy and established his identity as a convicted felon who twice before claimed to be a juvenile sex trafficking victim.

Timmothy vanished around the time of his mother's suicide. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: "You will never find him."

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Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell

U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman answers questions during a news conference regarding Brian Rini, at the U.S. Attorney's 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) The Associated Press

Pedestrians pass outside the Hamilton County Justice Center, Friday, April 5, 2019, in Cincinnati. A day of false hope has given way to questions about why Brian Rini would claim to be an Illinois boy who disappeared eight years ago. The FBI declared Rini's story a hoax Thursday, April 4, 2019, one day after he identified himself to authorities as Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) The Associated Press

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