CINCINNATI — An Ohio man who claimed to be a child who disappeared at age 6 has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and will serve a sentence of two years in prison, minus time served.
24-year-old Brian Michael Rini, of Medina, will be on probation for a year at the end of his sentence, which includes time served dating to last April.
Rini last year pleaded not guilty to identity theft and lying to FBI agents about being Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011. Those charges could have put him behind bars for as long as eight years.
On April 3, Rini told police in Newport, Kentucky that he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers.
Police took Rini to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for treatment and testing. Federal authorities 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 established his identity as a convicted felon who had been released on probation in March from an Ohio prison after serving more than a year on burglary and vandalism charges.
When confronted with the DNA results, Rini said he had watched a story about Timmothy on ABC's "20/20" and wanted to get away from his own family, the FBI said.
Rini also pleaded guilty to burglary charges in January 2018 and passing bad checks in December 2015, according to Medina County Court records. The same man had multiple citations in Medina Municipal Court, including driving without a valid license, disorderly conduct and theft.
In 2017, Rini was treated at an Ohio center for people with mental health or substance abuse problems, according to court papers.
Timmothy Pitzen disappeared around the time his mother killed herself after leaving a note that her 6-year-old son was fine but that no one would ever find him.
Police and the boy's family say there have been other false sightings over the years.
