A rape suspect who faked his own death has been extradited from Scotland to the US after a lengthy legal battle.
In September last year Scottish ministers signed an order authorizing the extradition of 36-year-old Nicholas Rossi.
Last month, appeal judges rejected Rossi's bid to avoid extradition, paving the way for his deportation from Scotland to face serious sexual harassment charges in the United States.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We have been supporting partner agencies in the extradition of a 36-year-old man.”
The order came following a dispute in Scottish courts that found Rossi was wanted by authorities in Utah for the alleged rape of a woman in 2008.
Officials in the US believe he is a fugitive who faked his death and fled to Britain to avoid justice.
But Rossi has repeatedly claimed he is the victim of mistaken identity, saying he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight.
Rape suspect Nicholas Rossi (pictured in court in July) has been extradited from Scotland to the US after a lengthy legal battle
Rossi (pictured in July last year) claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, saying he was an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight
The suspect, who was born Nicholas Alahverdian before changing his last name to that of his adoptive stepfather David Rossi, claimed he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in late 2019 and told friends he was dying .
In early 2020, an obituary for Rossi appeared online, saying he had died and his ashes were scattered at sea.
But the following year he was arrested at a Covid hospital in Scotland, where he was registered as Arthur Knight.
It was subsequently decided that the fugitive, who appeared during his court appearances in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask, was actually Rossi after he was identified through DNA and distinctive tattoos described in an Interpol alert.
Under the guise of Arthur Brown, Rossi is said to have met his wife Miranda Knight in Bristol in 2019 and married her in early 2020, taking the name Arthur Knight.
They moved to Glasgow shortly afterwards, but in 2021 Rossi became so ill with Covid that he had to be admitted to the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
In July 2020, DNA allegedly linked him to a 2008 rape in Utah, which ultimately led to his discovery in Scotland.
He was arrested on December 13, 2021 at Glasgow Hospital by police officers who served him with an Interpol Red Notice.
A mugshot from the 2010 Massachusetts police arrest of Nicholas Rossi
He also faces multiple complaints of alleged domestic violence in Rhode Island (pictured in Utah in 2008).
With the help of the hospital's medical staff, the patient, originally named Arthur Knight, was identified as Rossi.
There has never been an official version of events from Rossi, as he continues to insist that he is Arthur Knight and that the authorities have the wrong man.
In an interview with Dateline, Rossi is seen speaking with what appears to be an English accent and angrily insisting that he is a Brit named Arthur Knight.
He also tried to theatrically prove he couldn't walk while standing, before throwing himself down again.
Rossi appeared alongside his British wife Miranda Knight, who shouted “Woah” before trying to stabilize him
“I am not Nicholas Alahverdian. “I don't know how to put this more clearly,” he told NBC in a bizarre accent, muffled by an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
In his court appearances he has retained his tortured English accent, with an Irish accent whenever he mentions the word Dublin, where he is said to have been born.
Last year, his stepfather David Rossi – an Engelbert Humperdinck impersonator – revealed an old photo of a floppy-haired teenager on a motorcycle who, despite having no breathing aid and looking many pounds lighter, bears a striking resemblance to the man in court.
In a wide-ranging interview, he described his estranged stepson as “the devil's spawn” and said he was a “bad” child who beat his mother and grandmother.
He told : “He will do anything to hide from the law.” The wheelchair, the mask. It's crap. There's nothing wrong with him. Everything about him is Nicky.
“My first impression of Nicky was that he had mental health problems. He was getting worse day by day.
“He urinated in his brother's bed just to get his brother in trouble.” Jumping out the window and running away in his underwear.
'[Rossi’s mother] Diana said that's why you don't get involved. But I stuck with it. I felt like they needed a father.'
Who is Nicholas Rossi?
According to reports in the US newspaper The Providence Journal, Nicholas Rossi was born Nicholas Alahverdian in July 1987 in Providence, Rhode Island, to his mother Diana Alahverdian and father Jack Alahverdian.
He was adopted by his stepfather David Rossi and changed his last name to Rossi.
Rossi had a turbulent childhood, leaving his family home as a teenager and spending much of his youth in care facilities run by the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
He spoke out against conditions in care, claiming abuse and neglect, and made a name for himself by advocating for improvements in facilities for children in state care.
In 2008, Rossi was convicted of sexually assaulting a female student while attending a community college in Ohio. He was then placed on the sex offenders register.
Rossi claimed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in late 2019, and around that time, friends in the media and politics began receiving calls from him saying he was dying lie.
In early 2020, an obituary for Rossi appeared online, saying he had died and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Rossi leaves the sheriff and justice of the peace court in Edinburgh after an extradition hearing on July 11
What is Rossi accused of?
Rossi is wanted in the US for allegedly raping a woman in Utah in 2008 and also faces domestic violence charges.
Authorities say he faked his own death to avoid prosecution in the United States.
What happened next?
It is unclear when Rossi left the US for the UK as he continues to insist he is Irish orphan Arthur Knight.
Under the guise of Arthur Brown, Rossi is said to have met his wife Miranda Knight in Bristol in 2019 and married her in early 2020, taking the name Arthur Knight.
Shortly afterwards they moved to Glasgow, but in 2021 Rossi became so ill with Covid-19 that he had to be hospitalized at the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
How was Rossi caught?
In July 2020, DNA allegedly linked him to a 2008 rape in Utah, which ultimately led to his discovery in Scotland.
He was arrested on December 13, 2021 at Glasgow Hospital by police officers who served him with an Interpol Red Notice.
With the help of the hospital's medical staff, the patient, originally named Arthur Knight, was identified as Rossi.
What is Rossi's version of events?
There has never been an official version of events from Rossi, as he continues to insist that he is Arthur Knight and that the authorities have the wrong man.
In his court appearances he has retained his tortured English accent, with an Irish accent whenever he mentions the word Dublin, where he is said to have been born.
In his final interview with The Times, as Arthur Knight, he said he wanted the “real” Rossi to step forward to “save my wife and I from this mess”.