An American fugitive, accused of feigning his own demise in order to avoid a rape charge in Utah, has been granted extradition to the US by a Scottish judge. In his ruling on Wednesday, the judge described the man, known in Scotland as Nicholas Rossi, as “dishonest, deceitful, evasive, and manipulative.” The fugitive, who was apprehended at a Glasgow hospital in December 2021 for COVID treatment, consistently maintained his false identity as an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never been to America, even appearing in court and giving television interviews in a wheelchair while wearing an oxygen mask.
However, Judge Norman McFadyen of the Edinburgh Sheriff Court previously dismissed the fugitive’s claims of mistaken identity as “implausible” and “fanciful.” The man had alleged that he had been framed by authorities, who had tattooed him and secretly obtained his fingerprints while he was in a coma, in an attempt to link him to Rossi. McFadyen stated, “I concluded that the evidence provided by the requested person was unreliable, to the extent that I would not be willing to accept any factual statements made by him unless they were independently corroborated.”
The ruling made by Judge McFadyen will be reviewed by Scottish government ministers to determine whether or not to issue an extradition order. US authorities have revealed that the 36-year-old fugitive, who goes by several aliases, is officially named Nicholas Alahverdian. Alahverdian is charged with sexually assaulting a former girlfriend in Orem, Utah, in 2008. Authorities in Rhode Island, where Alahverdian grew up, indicate that he is also wanted there for failing to register as a sex offender. Three years ago, Alahverdian claimed to be suffering from late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had only weeks left to live. An obituary published online stated that he passed away on February 29, 2020. However, a year later, the Rhode Island State Police, along with Alahverdian’s former lawyer and foster family, cast doubt on the veracity of his death.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
