Georgia defensive back Latavious Brini believes his arrest over a felony forgery charge stems from a case of mistaken identity, according to his attorney Mark Wiggins.
Brini, who was arrested on Dec. 12, has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. He was accused of using a fake $100 bill at Pet Supplies Plus on Alps Rd. in Athens to retrieve $92 in change while opening a rewards card under a different name during the summer. Brini, through his attorney, claims he never did this.
The incident in question took place on July 14. After Pet Supplies Plus tried to deposit the counterfeit currency, the bank the store uses rejected it. Eight days later, the cashier at Pet Supplies Plus claimed the perpetrator walked back into the store for a separate purchase and ultimately identified Brini.
During that particular transaction, Brini used his debit card and his information was obtained through a rewards account he previously opened.
A police report was filed but no arrest was made for five months. Wiggins said he would like to know why it took so long to arrest Brini.
“That’s a question we need to answer,” Wiggins said.
The case is currently in the discovery phase and Wiggins said he couldn’t comment on specifics before Wednesday’s hearing. But Wiggins said, to his knowledge, there wasn’t anything recorded on tape connecting Brini to the crime.
The only link thus far, Wiggins said, is the eyewitness account from the cashier.
“There is no video evidence whatsoever,” Wiggins said. “This is based on a memory.”
Brini practiced with the team Monday and his standing with the program has not changed since the arrest. He hasn’t appeared in a game this season and is slated to redshirt.
During his Monday news conference, head coach Kirby Smart said he would await the findings of the legal system before making a decision with Brini.
“Yeah, he's still in court right now,” Smart said. “Still going through the process and the decision-making process. As we get more information we'll let you guys know. We just don't know a whole lot.”
Brandon Sudge contributed to the reporting of this story.
