Trial commences in Utah for an individual charged with fabricating his demise to elude rape allegations
Fugitive Nicholas Rossi, Accused of Rape, Extradited to Utah After Living Under Multiple Aliases in the UK
Nicholas Rossi, also known as Nicholas Alahverdian, was extradited to Utah in January 2024, following his arrest in Scotland in 2021. Rossi, who spent years on the run from authorities in the United States, is now facing charges of rape and other federal and state crimes in Utah.
Rossi's time on the run was marked by a series of encounters and allegations of sexual and financial crimes. He fled the country after accusations of rape in Utah, and spent time in England, where he met a woman online and stayed at her house. Although no charges were pressed in connection with the alleged rape incident, it is believed that this was just one of the many incidents during his time on the run.
By 2020, Rossi was living in Bristol under the alias Nicholas Brown and was married to Miranda Knight. However, his time in Scotland was marked by a dispute over a parking garage, in which he allegedly pounded on the woman's car and used his body to block her from pulling out of a parking garage.
Throughout his time on the run, Rossi used different identities to evade capture, including the alias Arthur Knight. He lost an extradition appeal after claiming he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never set foot on American soil and was being framed.
The woman who testified against Rossi described a whirlwind relationship with him that began in November 2008 while she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury. She accused Rossi of becoming controlling and saying mean things to her. She also claimed that he forced her to have sex with him against her will.
Rossi has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He is accused of sexually assaulting two women in Utah in 2008. The relationship between Rossi and the woman spiraled quickly, and she was asked to pay for their dates, cover Rossi's rent, and take on debt to buy their engagement rings.
The woman tried to bring Rossi to small claims court over the engagement rings but dropped the case. Rossi will stand trial in September for another rape charge in Utah County. He appeared in court in a wheelchair, wearing a suit and tie and using an oxygen tank.
It is believed that Rossi has used at least a dozen aliases over the years to evade capture. An obituary was published online claiming Rossi died of late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020, but authorities doubted his death.
Prosecutors are trying the cases against Rossi separately, with the first set in Salt Lake County. Rossi's lawyers have accused the alleged victim of building up years of resentment and accusing him of rape to get back at him a decade later.
[1] Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
- The Salt Lake Tribune reported that fugitive Nicholas Rossi, also known as Nicholas Alahverdian, was extradited to Utah in January 2024 after living under multiple aliases, including Nicholas Brown and Arthur Knight, in the UK and other countries.
- Rossi, who is facing charges of rape and other federal and state crimes in Utah, was living in Bristol under the alias Nicholas Brown and was married to Miranda Knight before his arrest in Scotland in 2021.
- Prior to his arrest, Rossi was involved in a dispute over a parking garage in Scotland, where he allegedly pounded on a woman's car and blocked her from pulling out.
- During his time on the run, Rossi lost an extradition appeal after claiming he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never set foot on American soil and was being framed. His trial for rape charges in Utah County is scheduled for September.
