“I had put a garage up for sale and Hitler answered the advert,” the father said. “But when he turned up he didn’t seem to have much interest in the garage, only Ania. He lured her to his flat with sweets, brought her clothes and plastic flowers, and even offered to marry her.”

When Ania’s parents discovered that he kissed her, they broke off all contact with him and pressed charges. Romano-Lukas Hitler denied the accusations, but Judge Ulrich Schettgen found he kissed Ania “against her will on the neck and cheeks.”

Adolf Hitler potentially had a pedophilic relationship with his niece Geli Raubal.

German social customs do dictate a variety of greetings that range from one kiss on one cheek to one on each, but the man’s personal life, last name, and eccentric behavior haven’t fostered much sympathy. But is he actually related to history’s most infamous dictator?

Romano-Lukas Hitler said he was raised in a monastery before a Polish family adopted him. He’s been a German citizen since the 1970s.

“I wanted to spend free time with her, together,” said Hitler. “They were just harmless welcome kisses. I reject this, I’m innocent.”

Ultimately, the man has been charged and convicted of his crime. A more unsubstantiated factor is the 69-year-old’s family lineage. While it’s true that Hitler has distant relatives who currently live in New York, Romano-Lukas Hitler’s bloodline is disputed.

According to Heavy, he claimed in 2015 that his father was the grandchild of the brother of Adolf Hitler’s father. The family connection essentially boils down to Romano-Lukas Hitler claiming that his great-grandfather was Adolf Hitler’s uncle.

Though Romano-Lukas claims the Hitler name is a burden, he has Adolf Hitler artwork on his wall. He’s also not considered changing his name.

The premise is that the 69-year-old’s parents fled East Germany and settled in Slovakia, and that he was sent to a monastery before being adopted by a Polish family. Perhaps most confusing are the man’s claims that although the Hitler name has made his life difficult and cost him several jobs, he owns artwork created by Adolf Hitler that’s hung on his wall.

“After me, there will be no more Hitlers,” he said. “That’s it, shame must have an end. The name is like a cross to bear and I wish that on nobody.”

Romano-Lukas Hitler speaks Polish and “broken German,” and claims to have been a German citizen since the 1970s, after which he worked on a barge. He described his alleged relative as “my terrible grand cousin,” though Hitler’s family tree seems to suggest otherwise.

Alois Hitler, Adolf’s father, was the only child his mother Maria Schicklgruber ever had. Who Alois’ father was remains a mystery, although the Nazi government claimed it was a man named Johann Georg Hiedler. He, in turn, had a brother named Johann Nepomuk Hiedler who helped raise Alois.

Short of a DNA test, Romano-Lukas Hitler’s claim to the Hitler family remain in dispute. While possible, the assertion is yet unproven.

Klara Pözl Hitler, Adolf Hitler’s mother, was Alois’ cousin. Alois had two wives before he married Adolf’s mother, with one of those marriages resulting in no children and the other in two — Alois Jr. and Angela Hitler. Adolf Hitler’s siblings, meanwhile, all died in childbirth or shortly thereafter — except Paula Hitler, who never had kids.

In other words, until a DNA test verifies Romano-Lukas Hitler’s claims, he’ll simply remain an unfortunately named pedophile with Adolf Hitler artwork on his walls. The two verifiable facts are that he’s been charged and convicted of a sexual attack on a child and that the alleged “cross to bear” regarding his name is one he’s voluntarily continuing to carry.