Man accused of pretending to be missing child to stay in jail

CINCINNATI (AP) — A U.S. magistrate judge on Tuesday ordered an Ohio man to remain jailed without bail, accused of lying to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois.

Authorities charged Brian Michael Rini, 23, of Medina, Ohio, on Friday, a day after DNA testing proved he was not Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6.

“I believe Mr. Rini poses a flight risk,” Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said during a brief hearing in which Rini stood before her in a prison uniform, his wrists and ankles shackled.

She cited his lack of a permanent address, previous mental health problems and “an extensive criminal history” dating back to when he was 13. She also noted that he was just released on probation last month from state prison, after serving more than a year. for burglary and vandalism.

Federal authorities said he also twice presented himself as an underage sex trafficking victim, as he did in this case.

She scheduled an April 19 preliminary hearing for Rini, who was represented by a federal public defender. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of making false statements to federal agents.

The Butler County jail where he is being held says he is 5 feet 9 inches (175 centimeters) tall and weighs 145 pounds (66 kilograms).

Police arrested Rini on the morning of April 3 after learning that someone was wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them his name 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 said they were skeptical, especially after he refused to be fingerprinted, but did not want to miss an opportunity to possibly solve Pitzen's disappearance.

The FBI said DNA testing established his identity as a convicted felon.

In 2017, Rini received treatment at an Ohio center for people with mental health or substance abuse issues, according to court documents.

Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois, disappeared after his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, pulled him out of preschool, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, then committed suicide in a hotel. She left a note saying her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: “You will never find him.”

After Rini's story was branded a hoax last week, Timmothy's grandmother, Alana Anderson, said: “It's been horrible. We were on edge, hopeful and scared. It was just exhausting.”

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Associated Press writer Don Babwin contributed from Chicago.

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