GUILTY OH - Brian Michael Rini, charged with impersonating a long-missing child, Apr 2019

[Blue_Dolphin308]

Everyone: What could he be charged with? False reporting?

If he is a kidnapped victim he may not be charged... As he too is a victim of a crime. Police are still treating him like a victim as they believe he still may very well be kidnapped

"Rini’s motives are currently unclear. However, police in the area of Newport, Kentucky (where Rini was first “found”) have confirmed that they are looking into his claim of being kidnapped, while also acknowledging that he has given false statements in the past 24 hours, including that he claimed to be 14 years old. Following the confirmation of Rini’s identity, FBI Louisville released the following statement, in the form of a pair of tweets,"

 

[gitana1]

Still catching up and still mortified at how this turned out. If it’s any consolation, i do believe that hospital has an adult section, too, in spite of it’s name.
ETA: so hopefully, he was nowhere near minors.

Oh good!

 

[Wagtales10]

If he is a kidnapped victim he may not be charged... As he too is a victim of a crime. Police are still treating him like a victim as they believe he still may very well be kidnapped

If he wasnt. I wonder if they will make him pay back everything from the investigation. Something this large should cost like $130k

 

[gitana1]

I know still photos can be deceptive but dang, this guy sure looks different in these two photos. Did he bleach his brows, too? Weight, obviously, adds to the difference, as well. Anyway, in neither he does look anywhere close to 14.

One has brown eyes and one blue.

 

[gitana1]

When you end up in a mugshot with this crew you know it's time to re-evaluate your life choices.

He's likely the worst of that crew based on what I'm hearing.

 

[WillenFan21]

So odd that he picked Timmothy's case of all the cases out there as he only would have been 16 when Timmothy went missing. Prayers to Tim's family.

 

[gitana1]

Everyone: What could he be charged with? False reporting?

Falsification. It can be a misdemeanor or felony depending.

I hope he is charged.

 

[missingm]

Everyone: What could he be charged with? False reporting?

Filing a false report and obstruction of justice (refusing fingerprints). With his priors that might be enough.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Maybe he's a true crime fan and watches the ID channel and other true crime shows. I believe there have been several shows about Timmothy in recent years.

And reads websleuths. This site is a gold mine of information. And due to the rules, pretty accurate.

 

[Alethea]

If you read my thousands of posts over the course of years here you will see I am always a big defender of LE and the media. I think this was handled poorly. LE agencies have media relations departments trained to deal with the press during crisis and/or breaking news in the age of social media. If you disagree, that’s fine. It’s just an opinion on this one case not some damning of the media in general.

 

[MyBelle]

And date of birth and full name!! I wonder if he's been saving that for some scam.

Perhaps he markets stolen identities.

JMO

 

[Joe Friday]

I bet he didn't figure on anyone comparing his DNA to see if he was actually Timothy. He thought everyone would just take his word for it.

He likely assumed he would become 'someone' like other individuals who were missing and eventually were found or escaped from their kidnappers. (JC, ES)

His moment of fame didn't last long.

I would hope he will be charged with making a false report and lying to the FBI, which is a pretty serious offense and could land him in prison for some time.

JMO

 

[Wagtales10]

I bet he didn't figure on anyone comparing his DNA to see if he was actually Timothy. He thought everyone would just take his word for it.

He likely assumed he would become 'someone' like other individuals who were missing and eventually were found or escaped from their kidnappers. (JC, ES)

His moment of fame didn't last long.

I would hope he will be charged with making a false report and lying to the FBI, which is a pretty serious offense and could land him in prison for some time.

JMO

I bet he thought they'd release him if he promised to come back for questions...and it backfired

 

[Stunned]

I don't know that it was irresponsible reporting. Several witnesses spoke to the media. None said he looked like a man.

I’d like to know more about the witness who said the FBI asked her too take down his picture, that there might be more children involved! Was she just inserting herself into this story?

 

[LadyL]

This is his mug shot from a 2018 arrest in Norton, Ohio.

“A 22-year-old man called for help Nov. 29 using the vehicle’s OnStar system but was vague in the details. Police arrived at a Wadsworth Road parking lot and got a vague report from the man about some acquaintances he’d picked up who started fighting in the car. He didn’t produce a driver’s license but gave a name and Social Security number. The car itself belonged to a car dealership and was allegedly on an overnight test drive. However, the actual owner of the name and Social Security number used called police dismayed at receiving a citation in the mail, suspecting his brother had used his identity in the incident. The brother, Brian Michael Rini, was in the Medina County Jail at the time and was charged with falsification as well as the original traffic citation.”
Brian Michael Rini: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

[bbm]

didn't know overnight test drives were a thing

 

[UnlicensedPI]

IMO, he wasn't trying to fool anybody. He claimed one man had a snake tattoo and the other had a spiderweb tattoo! I'm surprised anybody took that seriously. IMO he doesn't resemble Timmothy at all either. I think this was all about notoriety and attention. He knew he couldn't keep up this charade for very long and he'd be infamous like Frederic Bourdin when he was caught

 

[stephlovescheese]

Falsification. It can be a misdemeanor or felony depending.

I hope he is charged.

With his history, I’m hopeful he will be charged. But I’m still curious to know more about his background and mental health issues. The issues certainly don’t excuse his behavior, but they may offer some explanation.

 

[crhedBngr]

Now can you pass ME the tequila?

Here you go!

 

[Alethea]

I bet he didn't figure on anyone comparing his DNA to see if he was actually Timothy. He thought everyone would just take his word for it.

He likely assumed he would become 'someone' like other individuals who were missing and eventually were found or escaped from their kidnappers. (JC, ES)

His moment of fame didn't last long.

I would hope he will be charged with making a false report and lying to the FBI, which is a pretty serious offense and could land him in prison for some time.

JMO

Yeah but like was he just going to go back 10 years and be 14 again? It’s so weird.

And yeah lying to the FBI is a federal crime so if they interviewed him that’s enough to head to prison anyway. Martha Stewart went to jail for lying to a federal agent, not any underlying crime.

 

[osu]

BROTHER OF MEDINA MAN ACCUSED OF PRETENDING TO BE MISSING BOY, SPEAKS OUT

"He's been doing stupid stuff for as long as I can remember"

MEDINA, Ohio — The brother of the 23-year-old Medina man that claimed he was an Illinois boy that was last seen in 2011, has spoken out.

~snip

In the interview, Rini expressed his disappointment and says he has no clue why his brother would take on this persona.

"I'm not surprised, I mean he's nuts. He's been doing stupid stuff, not this serious, but he's been doing stupid stuff for as long as i can remember," said Jonathan.

He went on to say that his brother struggles with several mental health issues and he hopes he gets help.

"He has Asperger's, bipolar disorder, ADHD, the list goes on. He was receiving treatment but then he stopped and started getting in more trouble," Rini added.

~snip

More at link:
Brother of Medina man accused of pretending to be missing boy, speaks out