Prosecutors have stated that a US citizen, who was allegedly a fugitive from the FBI, was captured in Scotland after years of hiding. His tattoos were matched by the police.
He goes under at least 10 other names, such as Nicholas Alahverdian or Arthur Knight. On Friday, the man appeared in Edinburgh in a wheelchair, wearing an oxygen mask and pyjamas and a dressing gown with socks.
According to the prosecution, Nicholas Rossi was the Rhode Island man arrested after fleeing from the US in 2017. He fled charges for identity theft fraud and sexual assault in Utah in 2008.
When asked to confirm his identity as Nicholas Rossi, Rossi denied.
Rossi is accused of faking his own death before hiding in Scotland to escape sex charges, only to be arrested twice after almost dying of Covid and then missing his extradition hearing. Rossi has been placed in custody.
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutor Fiscal Jennifer Johnston said police and hospital staff identified the man as being Mr Rossi from tattoos on his body.
Prosecutors have stated that the FBI fugitive claimed to be from America was discovered after hiding for many years in Scotland. Police had matched his tattoos. He is known by more than ten other names, including Nicholas Alahverdian, and appeared in an oxygen mask, dressing gown, and pajamas at the hearing in Edinburgh.
Officers took photographs of him with tattoos across his arms.
Ms Johnston explained that she had seen tattoos on her husband’s arm and scarring around his left arm, which could have been caused by the removal of tattoos.
Elle added that the fingerprints of the man had not been taken yet.
After being treated for coronavirus at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, (QEUH), the 34-year old was arrested by Interpol on December 13.
After appearing by videolink at the court hearing on December 23, he was released on bail. He stated that he needed more treatment.
Prosecutors told an Edinburgh Sheriff Court hearing that he was discharged the following day, and returned to Glasgow to live at his West End Park Street address.
According to the court, the accused sexual offender was arrested again on January 20, at his home, because he failed to appear for an extradition hearing.
At Friday’s hearing, Ms Johnston stated that Rossi’s bail must be revoked because he poses a significant flight risk.
She said he made several attempts to leave QEUH with oxygen canisters in December, including hiring a private ambulance and offering to pay £100 to a taxi to take him home.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court was attended by Nicholas Rossi on Friday, believed to have made up his death in order to avoid sex assault accusations in Utah.
An ambulance believed to contain Nicholas Rossi is being escorted by a police motorcyclist
File photo from January 2019, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. Nicholas Rossi was last year being treated for coronavirus and is suspected to have faked his death in order to avoid sex assault charges against him in Utah.
Rossi tried multiple aliases. Ms Johnston told court Rossi used a number of aliases. Rossi provided a document in Nicholas Brown Knight’s name, which was subsequently proved false by Rossi. But, Arthur Knight was said to have been his name when he was taken into custody in QEUH.
Rossi’s wife told her that Rossi’s name is Arthur Brown. But, there was a marriage record which refers to him as Nicholas Brown.
In 2020, a anonymous email from Rhode Island Media was also sent by the prosecution indicating that Nicholas Alahverdian (another alias Rossi) had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He had been cremated, and then buried at sea.
According to the court, Police Scotland received a complaint from Essex police regarding Rossi in 2017, after the arrest of an alleged sexual offender.
Ms Johnston stated to the court that there was a ‘concern over Rossi’s reoffending and a ‘risk of flight’. She also said she could not trust Rossi for bail.
Fred Mackintosh (QC) appeared for the man and stated that his client’s condition had worsened substantially since Covid caught. If he goes to prison, there is a risk that he will die by not receiving oxygen.
Mackintosh stated that ‘if he goes prison, he will face a serious risk for asphyxiation while he sleeps’.
His conditions extend beyond post-Covid. He has epilepsy, anxiety and depression as well as lower back pain.
Mackintosh also claimed that the client should be allowed to remain on bail. He said that he was previously granted bail under standard conditions, and that he has complied.
“There’s no evidence that he has violated these rules.”
The map below shows the trail of alleged criminal activity and havoc Nicholas Rossi has created across the US. Rossi is the man that appeared before Edinburgh’s court on Friday. He was allegedly on the run for his crimes.
Sheriff Alistair Noble claimed: ‘Obviously, Crown suggests that Mr Rossi is the person in front me.
His lawyer said that bail was granted initially on condition that he be kept in the hospital for “at least several weeks” for treatment.
The man was also informed that he had seen a QEUH doctor’s medical note and understood that he could get the assistance he needs in prison.
Noble stated that he felt it was appropriate to cancel the bail of the suspect, and that the man could not be trusted.
Numerous media outlets reported that Nicholas Alahverdian (a fake name for Mr Rossi) had passed away on February 29, 2020, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
They also cited EverLoved.com as a source, which stated his body was cremated with his ashes scattered at sea.
Nicholas Alahverdian was the subject of an online obituary. It stated that Nicholas Alahverdian lost his fight for life on February 29, 2020.
“The Rhode Island Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF), for which he led turbulent government actions, has lost a leader that fought for the Front Lines for more than two decades.
According to the latest information, the next hearing in the case will be at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Feb. 10, and then a complete hearing regarding whether or not the man should go free will be at the court on Feb. 17.
US prosecutors are seeking to extradite Rossi. They believe he was in court Friday.
David O Leavitt was the Utah County Attorney. He told BBC Reporting Scotland that he was glad that he was in custody because it allowed him to prove who he truly is. However, he also said that his history shows that he could pose a risk to Scottish women.
Today, the prosecution said that Nicholas Rossi was the Rhode Island man sought by authorities after fleeing from the US in 2017. He fled charges for identity theft fraud and sexual assault in Utah in 2008.
Rossi, who claims to have been 32 years old when he died from cancer, is currently being investigated in connection with a 2008 Utah sexual assault case.
Rossi is charged with raping his ex-girlfriend on September 2008. Police investigating Rossi discovered that he had been previously reported to police for similar attacks in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Rossi was convicted for sexual assault in an encounter with another Sinclair Community College student.
It is believed that he was involved in multiple other sex assaults and also committed fraud of $200,000 by taking out loans and credit cards in the name of his foster father in Ohio.
Rossi, who had been married for less than 2 years, divorced his second spouse in 2017. He is said to owe $52,000. Following the end of their marriage, Rossi was placed under restraining orders by both his ex-spouses.
Providence Journal obtained more information about the bizarre behavior of Mr. Smith, and also a number of Pawtucket police reports that date back to over ten years ago.
Police were told by one of his accusers that Rossi lured him to his home, telling her that he would take her to see his art studio. She claimed that Rossi took her cell phone, and then pushed her to have sex with him.
He told her that if she didn’t leave, he’d kill herself by stabbing him in the chest using a knife.
Rossi was taken to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
On November 11, police received a tip and returned to the apartment to find a woman suffering from injuries to her eyes.
According to the woman, Rossi had snapped at their baby who was crying in earlier that evening. She also claimed that they got into an argument that turned violent.
According to reports, Rossi grabbed Rossi and put her on the ground. He then slapped her face.
He refused to be arrested, and police had to physically take him out of his apartment and into the vehicle. There he repeatedly banged against the bars, screaming loudly, while shouting’very loudly.
The officers pepper-sprayed him in an attempt to convince him to quit self-harming.
In Pawtucket, a stranger story was reported the following month.
A woman told police she went on a dinner date with Rossi, who picked up the tab. After she rejected his advances when they went back to Rossi’s apartment, he became “enraged” and confiscated her cellphone and demanded that she repay him for his meal.
He drove her to a nearby ATM, where she withdrew $200 because ‘She felt she had no choice but to give him the money, in fear of further violence.’
Before she could be released, he had her sign an agreement on camera that she “couldn’t pursue legal action” and that the money she paid him was to help him with his sexual addiction due to her violent acts.
Alahverdian is also known as Nicholas Rossi and is a registered sex offender. Two sex-related charges were convicted against him in 2008. The mugshot he took from the registry of sex offenders is shown below.
Rossi was arrested in 2011 after he violated a restraining or order he had obtained from his wife.
Rossi, an activist from Rhode Island, was one of the first to claim that she was the victim of the foster system and called for reforms to the law.
The story of the man who had a dark past and overcame it to become a Harvard-educated politician was a fascinating one. Many lawmakers took pity upon him.
When he was a teenager, he worked as an errandboy at Rhode Island’s state house, copying and delivering documents within the building.
Charming house pages were so captivating that they almost persuaded a representative of the state to adopt them.
Brian Coogan (51) said Rossi met him in 2000, while he was representing Rhode Island’s 64th district.
Rossi can be seen in an undated photo with Mike Pence, being described as charmingly vindictive.
DailyMail.com reported that Coogan was at first enamored of Rossi’s troubled teenage love interest. Rossi claimed to have been physically and sexually victimized in foster care. Coogan moved to make Rossi’s permanent family after Rossi “begged” him to adopt him.
Coogan stated that Rossi had threatened to assault a social worker while he was at court to start adoption proceedings.
Coogan was later reprimanded by a judge for manipulating his wife and trying to steal people’s identities.
Rossi was charged with rape in connection to Orem. He met the woman on MySpace and then attacked her, David Leavitt from Utah County District Attorney told DailyMail.com.
The Provo, Utah County Sheriff’s Office started the search for Rossi after having tested old sexual assault kits.
These were uploaded to a national database of criminal records.
‘At the time of his passing, the room was filled with the sounds of the end credits for the 1997 film “Contact” by composer Alan Silvestri, a film and score which held special meaning for Mr. Alahverdian,’ the ‘obituary’ for Mr Rossi said
Rossi, who was found guilty of Ohio sex attack in 2008, had samples that were used to match a sexual assault that occurred in Orem (Utah) in 2008.
The lead detective closed the case without referring it to prosecutors.
While DNA is believed to have led to his capture in Scotland by the police, it remains unclear why staff members became suspicious.
Leavitt claimed that this is where they began their investigation.
“We found a trail that included victims from Utah, Ohio and Rhode Island.
The answer is “All have very similar pattern, very similar stories.”
According to the Utah DA, Rossi also fled Ohio from Ohio-related charges. However, further details about Rossi’s accusations – who claimed to be a single father with two children – have yet not been revealed.
He also faced fraud and extortion complaints in Utah and Ohio, the Providence-Journal reported.
The connection between the Ohio fraud charges and the credit card purchases is not clear.
In 2008, he was found guilty in Dayton of sexual imposition and public indecency. Rossi claimed that the allegations stemmed from his masturbating in Sinclair Community College’s hallway.
One former acquaintance described Rossi/Alahverdian to be both charming and vindictive. In this undated photo, he is seen with Mike Pence (ex-vice president).
Rossi stated that he had died in Rhode Island. His reported death was acknowledged by the state. Rossi’s medical condition meant that police were finally able track him down to arrest him.
The Providence Journal declined to publish an Obituary of Rossi because a woman, claiming she is his third wife, failed to produce a Death Certificate. She claimed her “spouse” was buried at sea.
After recognising Rossi’s writing style, the con found a glowing obituary for Rossi online.
A YouTube appeal asking for support to the ex-foster child in Rhode Island was posted three weeks after Rossi died. It asked supporters to assist Rossi with reforming Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Rossi/Alahverdian spoke in a low, croaky voice at the end of an admonishing video about his accomplishments.
Alahverdian’s funeral was announced by a local radio station. The news clip was uploaded to the YouTube channel in an effort to show that Alahverdian is indeed still alive.
A memorial tribute to Alahverdian was published in February 2020. The claim stated that Alahverdian died from non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. His last words were “fear not, and run towards the blissful sun.”
In March 2020, Rhode Island Representative Frank McCabe eulogized him as ‘an accomplished author and child welfare reform advocate’.
‘During his years in the custody of DCYF, he endured significant abuse, deprivation of education, neglect, and unhealthy living conditions,’ McCabe said in the House Chamber. ‘The challenges he faced throughout those years could have irrevocably changed his life.
“Rather, these hardships taught him compassion, passion, and drove. Nicholas survived and triumphed over the many years of being in the system.
A ‘memorial’ Twitter accounted purported to be run by ‘Nick’s widow Louise Alahverdian’ appeared to exist to shut down any claims he was alive.
‘More fake news about Nick is released the more the Rhode Island gov & now the FBI prove they tried to silence him,’ said one tweet. ‘Too late. Difference now is he is deceased & I as his wife and 20+ staff can tell his story. He left seven manuscripts for publication. RI politics won’t be the same.
However, Rossi/Alahverdian is known to have been married twice.