Timmothy Pitzen Hoax: Brian Michael Rini Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison On Identity Theft
Brian Michael Rini, the man who claimed to be a boy who went missing at age 6, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Rini, 24, will subsequently serve one year of probation following his sentence. He is sentenced to time served, which will include any jail time dating back to his April 4, 2019 arrest.
The Ohio man learned of his sentence after he pleaded not guilty to identify theft and lying to FBI agents. The latter charge was dropped.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Rini confronted police, claiming to be Timmothy Pitzen, the son of Amy Pitzen, who was found dead of self-inflicted wounds in a motel room in Illinois. As written in her suicide note, Amy claimed he was in safe hands and warned police they "would never find him."
The boy's family spent years being "hopeful" of a reunion, and believed after years of sightings and false alarms, they might have finally ended their years-long search for Pitzen.
But investigators later revealed the DNA sample didn't belong to Timmothy, but rather Rini.
According to TIME, Rini, who was known for making up stories when he served a previous sentence on burglary and vandalism charges, admitted he learned of Timmothy's story while watching ABC’s 20/20. At the time, he told the FBI that he wanted to get away from his own family.
When the missing boy’s family discovered the truth, Timmothy’s grandma, Alana Anderson, and his aunt, Kara Jacobs voiced their heartbreak over the ordeal, sharing that the boy’s dad, Jim Pitzen, was unable to speak to anyone at the time.
“It’s devastating. It’s like reliving that day all over again,” Kara said.
Alana also said she felt bad for Rini.
“As Kara said, I feel so sorry for the young man who’s obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was someone else, and hope that they can find his family,” she said.