Current:Home > StocksU.S. rape suspect accused of faking his death to avoid justice can be extradited, Scottish court rules -WealthStream
U.S. rape suspect accused of faking his death to avoid justice can be extradited, Scottish court rules
View
Date:2025-04-24 21:27:17
A man believed to be American fugitive Nicholas Alahverdian, who allegedly faked his own death to avoid rape and fraud charges in the U.S. and was later arrested in the U.K., where he's known by the alias Nicholas Rossi, can be extradited back to the U.S, a court in Scotland ruled on Wednesday. The man, who denies being 35-year-old Alahverdian, was arrested in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19.
He has denied being Alahverdian or Rossi, claiming instead to be an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who's never set foot in the U.S.
In a hearing at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court, judge Norman McFadyen ruled that Rossi, as the Scottish court refers to him, could be extradited. The judge's ruling sends the case to Scottish government ministers to make a final decision on the extradition.
In November 2022, the same judge ruled that the man claiming to be Knight was indeed Alahverdian. After seeing evidence including fingerprints and tattoos, McFadyen told the Edinburgh court he was "ultimately satisfied on the balance of probabilities… that Mr. Knight is indeed Nicholas Rossi, the person sought for extradition by the United States."
The suspect, who's reportedly been known by at accused authorities of tattooing him while he was in a coma so that he would resemble the wanted man, and of surreptitiously taking his fingerprints to frame him. In recent months, he has appeared in several bizarre television interviews alongside his wife.
"We were once a normal family, but thanks to the media our lives have been interrupted," he told NBC in April, gasping into an oxygen mask in an unrecognizable accent. "We'd like privacy and I would like to go back to being a normal husband, but I can't because I can't breathe, I can't walk."
When asked if he was lying about his identity, he exclaimed: "I am not Nicholas Alahverdian! I do not know how to make this clearer!"
Last year, judge McFayden called Rossi's claims "fanciful" and "implausible."
U.S. authorities have always said that Rossi and Knight are the same man, Alahverdian, who was charged in connection with a 2008 rape in Utah.
Alahverdian is also wanted by authorities in Rhode Island for failing to register as a sex offender in that state. The FBI has said he also faces fraud charges in Ohio, where he was also convicted of sex-related charges in 2008.
Before leaving the U.S., Alahverdian had become an outspoken critic of Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth and Families, testifying before state lawmakers about being sexually abused and tortured while in foster care.
In 2020, he told local media that he had late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had only weeks to live.
An obituary published online claimed that he had died on February 29, 2020, but by last year, Rhode Island State Police, Alahverdian's former lawyer and his former foster family were casting public doubt over his purported death.
Since his arrest in Scotland, the suspect has made several court appearances and fired at least six lawyers — all while insisting that he isn't Nicholas Rossi or Nicholas Alahverdian.
- In:
- Rape
- Fraud
- Sexual Assault
- Scotland
- Crime
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- She missed out on 'Mean Girls' 20 years ago — but Busy Philipps got a second chance
- See Olivia Wilde and More Celebs Freeing the Nipple at Paris Fashion Week
- Kentucky lawmakers advance bill allowing child support to begin with pregnancy
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Calvin University president quits after school gets report of ‘inappropriate’ conduct
- Will there be a government shutdown? Lawmakers see path forward after meeting with Biden
- Feds take over case against man charged with threatening Virginia church
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- There's a cheap and effective way to treat childhood diarrhea. So why is it underused?
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Florida lawmaker pulls bill on wrongful death of unborn children after Alabama IVF ruling
- Bobby Berk's Queer Eye Replacement Revealed
- Wendy's to roll out Uber-style surge pricing as soon as next year
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- See the 10 cars that made Consumer Reports' list of the best vehicles for 2024
- Court documents shed new details in killing of nursing student at University of Georgia
- The 10 NFL draft prospects with most to prove at 2024 scouting combine
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
New York City medical school students to receive free tuition moving forward thanks to historic donation
Calvin University president quits after school gets report of ‘inappropriate’ conduct
Jay Bilas floats huge punishment for fans who storm court after Duke-Wake Forest incident
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Why Macy's is closing 150 department stores
US Army is slashing thousands of jobs in major revamp to prepare for future wars
Photographer in Australia accuses Taylor Swift's father of punching him in the face