FBI: Ohio Man Falsely Claimed To Be Missing Boy

(ONN) – A Medina man who claimed he was a missing teenager from Illinois is now facing federal charges.

The district attorney’s office in Cincinnati announced that 23-year-old Brian Rini has been charged with making false statements to federal agents.

Rini claimed that he was Timmothy Pitzen, the Aurora, Illinois child who went missing in 2011, when he was six years old.

Rini was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he agreed to a DNA sample.

The DNA matched up with Ohio Department of Corrections records for Rini, who was recently released from prison.

Rini is being held without bond.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Rini was released on probation from an Ohio prison last month after serving more than a year on burglary and vandalism charges.

The Associated Press is reporting that Rini has twice made similar claims in which he falsely portrayed himself as a juvenile sex trafficking victim.