Nicholas Rossi: US man who faked death after rape charge arrested in Glasgow

A US man who faked his death and then fled to Scotland has been arrested at a property in Glasgow.

Nicholas Rossi, 34, faces extradition to the US over a charge of rape in the state of Utah.

Rossi was previously arrested after being admitted to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital with Covid-19.

A warrant for Rossi’s arrest was issued when he failed to attend a hearing at Edinburgh Sherriff court on Thursday. He was later arrested at a property on West End Street in the Woodlands area of the city.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Officers arrested a 34-year-old man in the Woodlands area of Glasgow today, Thursday, 20 January, 2022, in connection with an arrest warrant.

“He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday”.

Rossi told US media in 2019 that he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma with several media outlets reporting that he died in February 2020.

Rossi, who is wanted by Interpol, used the alias Arthur Knight when he was admitted to QEU hospital where it is believe he was placed in an intensive care unit.

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt said: “It is confirmed that a warrant was granted this morning at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for the arrest of Nicholas Alahverdian/Rossi.

“He was apprehended at the Scotland address and is due to appear at court tomorrow.

“We again express our gratitude to the law enforcement agencies for their diligent efforts in this matter to bring this individual to justice.

“We do not comment on extradition proceedings or on the details of the work done in the course of this ongoing investigation.”