Serial Rape Suspect Who Faked Death to Face the Music

A convicted sex offender who faked his death to avoid a rape charge in Utah will soon be heading stateside. 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, who uses numerous aliases, including Nicholas Rossi, was arrested in Scotland two years ago after he was hospitalized with COVID. Though he claimed he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, authorities said his fingerprints and tattoos matched those of the US fugitive subject of an Interpol "wanted" notice, per the BBC. Alahverdian fought that assertion, claiming he was framed by authorities who tattooed him while he was unconscious.

During a hearing in June, Alahverdian's lawyer argued extradition should be refused so that doctors could investigate his client's mental health. However, three medical witnesses said Alahverdian showed no signs of acute mental illness, per the BBC. Indeed, witnesses "disproved claims that he suffers from various medical conditions," per Sky News. "I cannot walk, I cannot stand, I cannot support myself in any way from the waist down," the 36-year-old rape suspect, who uses a wheelchair, told the court. But a prison doctor testified that there's no medical reason for him to use a wheelchair, per the Scottish Sun. Alahverdian also claimed he couldn't raise his arms over his head, though he "twice put his hand up to attract his lawyer's attention," the outlet reports.

In August, the judge ruled he could be extradited, but the extradition order still needed to be signed. "The Scottish ministers have made their decision regarding Mr. Nicholas Rossi and signed an extradition order on 28 September, 2023," the government confirmed Thursday, per Sky. Alahverdian will have two weeks to appeal the decision, per the BBC. He's wanted in his native Utah for the alleged rape of a woman in 2008. He also faces numerous complaints of alleged domestic violence in Rhode Island, per Sky. Authorities in Essex, England, also want to speak with him about an alleged rape that took place in 2017. He was expected to be interviewed once extradition was approved, per the Daily Record. (More extradition stories.)