Fugitive Nicholas Rossi who faked own death to avoid rape charges FINALLY extradited to US as he’s flown out of Scotland
FUGITIVE beast Nicholas Rossi has finally been booted out of Scotland, we can reveal.
The 36-year-old was extradited today from Scotland to the USA over rape allegations in Utah.
The bombshell news brings to an end a two-year saga after the fantasist pretended to be an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight.
Rossi faked his own death and fled the US in 2017 before being caught on a covid ward in a Glasgow hospital in 2021 after an international manhunt.
The Scottish Sun’s exclusives on Rossi have fascinated the world since he was caught in Scotland and embarked on a ‘scandalous’ attempt to fool the law.
Last night a source said: “Goodbye - and good riddance.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We assisted partner agencies with the extradition of a 36-year-old man.”
Last month, Rossi lost a final bid to dodge being booted out of the UK at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh where he made outlandish claims and argued his legal teams misrepresented him.
He's now being returned to his native Utah to face rape and sexual assault charges.
Rossi was first arrested on December 13, 2021 after being admitted to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for urgent treatment for Covid-19.
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He is said to have checked in as Arthur Knight but was traced after a tip-off from Interpol while he was on a ventilator.
Staff recognised his distinctive tattoos, which he later claimed had been faked by an NHS worker.
After a number of hearings at Edinburgh sheriff court, a sheriff slammed the fantasist and concluded his claim to be an Irish orphan was a total lie.
In his judgement, Sheriff Norman McFadyen said of him: “He is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative.”
“I conclude his evidence was unreliable.
“To that extent, I’d not be prepared to accept any statement of fact made by him unless it was independently supported.”
INSIDE LIFE OF A PREDATOR & FANTASIST
JULY 11, 1987: Born as Nicholas Alahverdian in Rhode Island, USA. The troubled youngster later takes his stepdad’s surname, Rossi, and spends time in care facilities.
APRIL 2008: Convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage student at a college in Dayton, Ohio.
MAY 2008: Rossi allegedly rapes a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah. He is also accused of a second rape in nearby Salt Lake City.
2017: Fiend flees to the UK. A woman alleges he raped her in Essex.
JANUARY 2020: He tells reporters in Rhode Island he has cancer. A month later his “widow” claims he has died and been cremated.
DECEMBER 2021: Rossi traced by Police Scotland to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where he’s being treated for Covid under the name Arthur Knight.
JANUARY 2022: Remanded in custody after missing court date. He later abuses hospital staff.
NOVEMBER 11 2022: Sheriff Norman McFadyen rules he is wanted fugitive Rossi at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. An extradition hearing was arranged for March 2023.
NOVEMBER 28, 2022: Essex Police confirm Rossi is under investigation for an alleged rape there.
JANUARY 2023: Rossi’s application to be released on bail is refused.
AUGUST 2023: Sheriff Norman McFadyen rules Rossi can be extradited to the US to face rape charges after a six day hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
DECEMBER 2023: Rossi fights his extradition at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, representing himself after his legal team deserted him. He’s slapped down by top judge Lady Dorrian after a crazy rant about Mormons, US prosecutors and Ukrainian meat.
DECEMBER 2023: We reveal Rossi’s lawyers have been paid almost £90,000 in legal aid by taxpayers.
JANUARY 5 2024: Rossi is finally booted out of Scotland. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We assisted partner agencies with the extradition of a 36-year-old man.”
US authorities say he faked his death and fled to Scotland under an assumed identity.
He is facing a lengthy spell behind bars in Utah, where he is wanted over sex attacks against two women in 2008 before he faked his own death and fled the country.
He is wanted by the FBI over claims he racked up a £205,000 debt on credit cards he fraudulently obtained using his step-parents’ names and is also facing multiple allegations of domestic violence in Rhode Island.
His extradition was paused earlier this year when he was arrested over an allegation of rape in Essex in 2017.
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On Thursday, Rossi was re-bailed by Essex Police until March. It’s unclear what effect the extradition will have on that case.