abc's whit johnson leading us off from cincinnati. >> reporter: tonight, heartbreak for the family of missing timmothy pitzen, after the fbi announced a dna test confirms the mysterious young man who showed up in kentucky is not who he claimed to be. >> it's devastating. >> yeah. >> it's like reliving that day all over again. and timmothy's father is devastated once again. >> reporter: instead, authorities say this is not a boy at all, but a 23-year-old man from ohio, brian michael rini. prison records there show a man there with the same name served time. and tonight, they want to know why they told this elaborate tale, giving a family false hope. >> oh, it's kind of back to ground zero for us. kind of reliving everything that did happen and renewing the loss one more time. >> reporter: since 2011, pitzen's family has served for the little boy who vanished with his mother when he was just 6 years old. >> it's just more devastated than anything else. where's tim at? if i knew where he was, i'd go get him. i'd do just about anything to get him back. >> reporter: his mother seen on surv

>> whit johnson leading us off tonight. whit, thank you. >>> we are also following a hostage standoff still unfolding at this hour. two police officers shot and rushed to the hospital in a suburban atlanta neighborhood. they were responding to a call and then coming under fire. heavily-armed s.w.a.t. teams moving in. the gunman holding at least one hostage, a 16-year-old boy. it's unclear at this hour if the woman in the house has survived. the area on lockdown, part of i-75 shut down tonight. abc's steve osunsami is on the scene for us. >> reporter: police say the barricaded gunman in this suburban atlanta neighborhood was promising to shoot cops, and has already wounded two. two henry county police officers were rushed to a hospital in downtown atlanta. one had to be airlifted. >> he's got two small children. >> reporter: the family of one of them spoke outside the hospital. >> this is the family's worst nightmare. >> reporter: this began with a frantic call from a woman reporting that someone inside the home may have been

. >> reporter: for "nightline," whit johnson. >> our thanks to whit johnson. >>> now to the developments in the college admissions scandal. the first of 33 parents, a who's who of the rich and powerful facing a judge today. accused of bribing their kids' way into elite colleges. two of the biggest names in the case, actresses fa lielicielicec and lori laughlin. >> reporter: it was a blockbuster day in court for hollywood stars felicity huffman and lori laughlin. the actresses are just two of the 50 people ensnared in the shocking college admissions scandal, many of them parents accused of doling out more than $25 million to cheat the admission system and secure entry for their children into some of the most elite colleges from stanford to yale to georgetown. the federal courthouse in boston a far cry from the red carpets they're used to. >> if you're a celebrity in this case you've got to be worried that a judge is going to try to impose a stiffer sentence to impose a message rather than a lenient one. >> reporter: huffman best known for "desperate housewives" somberly arrived to court t

>> all right, whit johnson in kentucky for us. whit, thank you. >>> there is also news video just out tonight, a message from former vice president joe biden. what he now says, after four women have come forward to claim he acted inappropriately. here's abc's mary bruce. >> reporter: tonight, after five days of mounting pressure, former vice president joe biden is acknowledging that some of his behavior has made women uncomfortable and is trying to explain. >> i'm always trying to be, in my career, i've always tried to make a human connection. that's my responsibility, i think. i shake hands, i hug people, i grab men and women by the shoulders and say, you can do this. >> reporter: and now, biden is promising to change his ways, calling it his responsibility. >> social norms have begun to change, they've shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. and i get it. i get it. i hear what they're saying. i will be more mindful and respectful of people's personal space, and that's a good thing. that's a good

illness for years. >> i hope he goes to prison for this, but -- or at least an institution. >> whit johnson with us live tonight from kentucky. we know he faced a federal judge today. he could face significant prison time? >> reporter: that's right. he could face up to eight years in prison. authorities allege he has done something like that at least twice before, pretending to be a victim of sex trafficking. david? >>> now to the race for 2020. vice president joe biden has not officially declared a run. but today all eyes were on biden. his first public appearance since being accused of inappropriate touching. making a couple jokes on stage and immediately afterwards, coming outside and walking up to reporters there to explain his humor on stage. abc's senior national correspondent terry moran was there. ♪ >> reporter: joe biden emerged on stage to the cheers of a friendly union crowd, his first appearance since several women went public with complaints about his unwelcome touching. >> i just want you to know i had permission to hug lonnie. [ cheers and applause ] i, uh, i don't know, man.

whit johnson, abc news, hebron, kentucky. >> this is an incredible development.s turn out to be timmothy pitzen, who that little boy -- who that teen at this point says that he is, timmothy went missing may 11th, next month will mark seven years. eight years. so since 2011. he's from aurora, illinois, which is about 45 minutes outside of chicago. so that community has been grappling with this over the years, wondering what happened to him and wondering if they may finally have answers. >> you heard that woman just now in whit's report say, obviously we hope that it's him, we'll be thrilled. if it's him, what has he gone through the past eight years? we hope that the police get down to the bottom of this very quickly. >>> democrats have formally asked the irs to turn over six years of president trump's personal and business tax returns. >> the chairman of the house ways and means committee made the request under a little-known provision in the tax code as this panel seeks to shed light on the president's financial dealings and possible conflicts of interest. and h

whit johnson, abc news, cincinnati, ohio. >> our thanks to whit on this crazy story.re learning more about the suspect, brian rini. >> jonathan rini says he hasn't spoken to his older brother in four years. he says he has no compassion for his brother because of legal run-ins dating back to when brian rini was a juvenile. >> he's been doing stupid stuff for as long as i can remember. he has several mental issues, yes. he has asperger's, bipolar disorder, adhd, the list goes on. >> john hopes his brother gets help but also hopes he goes to a prison or institution. he says if he could speak to pitzen's family, he would apologize for what his brother has done. we heard whit earlier say there's a silver lining they're looking at here, that it brings more attention, more awareness to what happened to timmothy pitzen. 24 hours ago there were so many who were sure that timmothy had been found. for this family this is just heartbreaking. they are back at ground zero, as they said. >> right. so many people who thought they were sure, but that family who specifically said they

and the new charges and whit johnson from kentucky. >> reporter: tonight, federal charges for the man accused of impersonating a missing boy, and giving false hope to a heartbroken family. authorities today describing how 23-year-old brian rini allegedly lied to federal agents claiming he was 14-year-old timmothy pitzen. >> at what point in the process did your officers become suspicious of his story? >> i think there were suspicions relatively quickly if for not other reason than he declined to be fingerprinted. >> reporter: but rini agreed to a dna test, which ultimately revealed his true identity. a convicted criminal just released from prison. the pitzen family crushed. >> it's like reliving that day all over again. >> reporter: rini told officers he got the idea after watching this cable show produced by abc news. >> rini told the agents that he wanted to get away from his family and that he wished he had a father like timmothy pitzen's father. >> reporter: his brother says that rini has battled mental illness for years. >> i hope he goes to prison for this, but -- or at least an

abc's whit johnson is in newport, kentucky, with the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: cecilia, good morning to you. this story captivating much of the country. a family hoping that little timmothy pitzen was finally coming home. but sadly, that dna test exposing a painful lie. and a man with a troubled past. this morning, a shocking hoax surrounding illinois boy timmothy pitzen who gained national attention nearly eight years ago when he tragically vanished. >> it's devastating. >> yeah. >> it's like reliving that day all over again. >> reporter: for a day and a half, a breakthrough gave the family renewed hope when this man wearing a hoodie identifying himself to police as a 14-year-old pitzen telling authorities he escaped from two men who were holding him captive. timmothy mysteriously disappeared in 2011 at age 6 after his mother picked him up from school. police say days later she took her own life and left a chilling note saying her son was safe but would never be found. timmothy's family hopeful all these years that he was still a

his initials are whit johnson. carla hall, so great to have you. >> thank you. i'm back.on, easter edition of "pop news." how does that sound? >> that sounds fantastic. >>> first up, kanye at coachella, the singer getting ready to deliver his easter sunday service at the music festival later this morning. ♪ ♪ >> all right, that's a little simple for kanye. we're sure that today's service will be on a much grander scale. it will be streaming live on coachella's youtube channel. i'm not sure if you have a lot to talk about that. >>> but, let's talk about the sweet side of easter -- easter candy. americans will spend over $2.5 billion on candy for the holiday. that's a lot of sweets. so, how does it break down? well, according to the site wallethub, we will be eating 16 billion jelly beans during the holiday. that's enough to circle the globe three times. 700 million peeps purchased during the easter season. let's turn our attention to the chocolate easter bunny. 91 million are sold each year for the holiday. now, guys, how do you eat your bunny? >> ears first. >> it turns o

here's abc's whit johnson. >> reporter: it's spring, the season for rebirth.hes. there's the maine hospital where nine labor and delivery nurses are pregnant at the same time. and the salisbury fire department in north carolina with six. then there's oak street elementary school in goddard, kansas. seven teachers out of 15 are having babies. eight babies in all. one expecting twins. >> we started off this school year with three of us. then we came back from christmas break and found out about two more. then we came back from spring break and found out about two more. >> reporter: here at oak street they're giving new meaning to the idea a workplace can be a family. their due dates range from late march to early october. the principal says she already has long-term substitutes while the women take maternity leave and hopes for more. >> we joked we need to add on a nursery to this building so we can bring all the babies in, and they would love that. >> reporter: what did the kids ask their teachers about their pregnancies? >> one was, if i sneeze if the baby sne

whit johnson with the details. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. michael avenatti says he's made powerful enemies over the years but prosecutors pulled no punches, characterizing the flashy lawyer as a thief, a fraud, and a liar, who took advantage of his own clients. this morning, brash celebrity attorney michael avenatti now fighting for his own freedom. prosecutors accusing the man who once considered running for president of stealing millions of dollars from clients to fund a lavish lifestyle. from reportedly sporting a watch worth tens of thousands to a flashy race car business and this private jet now seized by the feds. >> it is lawyer 101, you do not steal your client's money. >> reporter: avenatti soaring to fame by representing porn star stormy daniels in a case against president trump. the attorney facing 36 charges including wire fraud, tax fraud, bank fraud, and perjury, in what prosecutors describe as a complex web of lies and financial back channels between his law firm, troubled seattle coffee company, and other businesses. >> typic

abc's whit johnson is here with the details. whit, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. it until she could make it. those were words from her own attorney and never intended her to commit a crime. prosecutors call her a fraud and a liar and they would do almost anything to prolong her life of luxury. this morning, the fate of an alleged scam artist is now in the hands of a jury. both sides wrapping up arguments for a case that's drawn international outrage. the style savvy defendant even turning heads in court wearing an animal print dress. she called herself anna delvey a fashionable globe trotter who prosecutors say was pretending to be a high-flying german heiress living a fairytale life of glitz and glam among m manhatt manhattan's elite. >> i urge you to come to the only verdict that is important to the law and evidence and that is the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. >> reporter: prosecutors say the 28-year-old whose real name is anna sorokin stole $275,000 from banks, hotels and friends to keep up her illusion of grandeur. prosecutors also allege sor

abc's whit johnson with the details. good morning, whit. >> reporter: good morning to you. husband refused to take a plea deal like other defendants including actress felicity huffman. multiple reports now suggesting the couple will fight back arguing they didn't know they were allegedly breaking the law. this morning, new reports hinting to a possible defense for actress lori loughlin and her fashion designer husband mossimo giannulli pleading not guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy in that college admissions scandal. a source close to the couple tells "people" magazine they just didn't realize that what they were doing was illegal adding they gave money to this consultant not entirely knowing everything that was going to be done. >> you've worked very hard for your success. you should be proud of yourself. >> reporter: the "full house" star, allegedly funneling nearly half a million dollars to the scheme's mastermind rick singer in order to get her daughters into usc as bogus recruits to the crew team. court documents highlight a wiretapped phone conversation set up

abc's whit johnson is there on the scene in newport with the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: cecilia, good morning. the timmothy pitzen disappearance baffled authorities for years. the boy's mother taking him out of school and committing suicide days later. days later the boy nowhere to be found until yesterday, a 14-year-old coming forward begging for help making a shocking claim. this morning, the eight-year search for a missing boy may finally be over. timmothy pitzen was 6 when he vanished in 2011. last seen in this surveillance video being picked up by his mother before they both disappeared. then just yesterday, a stunning development, police in kentucky getting a call about a boy claiming he just escaped his kidnappers who held him captive for years. >> he's with a 14-year-old juvenile, male, white, says he was kidnapped from somewhere. >> reporter: the 14-year-old calling himself timmothy pitzen, a boy who went missing without a trace in illinois eight years ago. newport, kentucky, residents alarmed when they spotted this young teen alo

who pretended to be an heiress and stole hundreds of thousands to fund her luxury lifestyle and whit johnson the drama played out late into the evening. at one point the jury appeared deadlocked. the defense asking for a mistrial but then the verdict. jurors agreeing with the prosecution that anna sorokin built her fairy tale life on a foundation of theft and lies. overnight a new york city jury finding socialite anna sorokin the co-called soho grifter guilty on grand larceny, attempted grand larceny and theft of services. prosecutors arguing the 28-year-old stole $250,000 from banks, hotels and friends to fund a lavish lifestyle. >> the jurors obviously believed our point of view and followed our logic and acquitted her of the top charge. i'm saddened she was convicted of some of the other charges. >> reporter: prosecutors say the russian born sorokin was pretending to be a high-flying german heiress living a life of glamour among manhattan's elite and authorities say she even forged financial documents hoping to get a $22 million loan to open a private club in the big apple. while she was