Scotland signs extradition order for ‘dead’ US fugitive

Nicholas Rossi leaves court after a hearing in Scotland. Pic/AP

Scottish authorities have signed an extradition order for an American fugitive accused of faking his own death to avoid a rape charge in Utah. In response to a freedom of information request, the Scottish government on Thursday said an extradition order for the man local officials refer to as Nicholas Rossi had been signed on Sept. 28. The government provided no other information.

The suspect has fought a prolonged court battle to prevent his return to the United States since he was arrested in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital, where he was being treated for COVID-19. Rossi, who insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight and had never set foot on American soil, repeatedly appeared in court in a wheelchair using an oxygen mask and speaking in a British accent.

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The order was signed after a judge ruled that he was "as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative." US authorities said Rossi is one of several aliases the 36-year-old has used and that his legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian. He is charged with sexually assaulting a former girlfriend in Orem, Utah, in 2008.

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