Scotland’s Justice Secretary Angela Constance signed an extradition order last week, eliminating one of the final hurdles preventing Nicholas Alahverdian’s return to the US. Alahverdian, a convicted sex offender who faked his death to avoid a rape charge in Utah, will soon be heading stateside. He has used numerous aliases, including Nicholas Rossi. Alahverdian was arrested in Scotland two years ago after being hospitalized with COVID. Despite claiming to be an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, authorities confirmed his true identity through fingerprints and tattoos that matched those of the US fugitive subject of an Interpol “wanted” notice, according to the BBC. Alahverdian fought against this assertion, arguing that authorities had tattooed him while he was unconscious.
During a June hearing, Alahverdian’s lawyer argued against extradition in order to have doctors investigate his client’s mental health. However, three medical witnesses testified that Alahverdian showed no signs of acute mental illness, as reported by the BBC. These witnesses disproved the claims that he suffers from various medical conditions, according to Sky News. Alahverdian, a 36-year-old rape suspect who uses a wheelchair, stated in court that he cannot walk, stand, or support himself from the waist down. However, a prison doctor testified that there is no medical reason for him to use a wheelchair, as stated in the Scottish Sun. The same source reports that Alahverdian claimed he couldn’t raise his arms over his head, yet he twice put his hand up to attract his lawyer’s attention.
In August, the judge ruled in favor of extradition, but the extradition order still needed to be signed. On September 28, 2023, the Scottish ministers signed the extradition order regarding Nicholas Rossi, as confirmed by the government on Thursday, according to Sky. Alahverdian will have two weeks to appeal the decision, according to the BBC. He is wanted in Utah for the alleged rape of a woman in 2008 and faces numerous complaints of alleged domestic violence in Rhode Island, as reported by Sky. Authorities in Essex, England, also want to speak with him about an alleged rape that occurred in 2017. The Daily Record reports that he was expected to be interviewed once extradition was approved.
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