Man who faked his death to avoid rape charges finally extradited to the US

American Fugitive Nicholas Rossi has been extradited from Scotland to the US following a long legal battle amid heavy sexual assault allegations.

Scottish ministers signed an order in September last year giving permission for Nicholas Rossi, 36, to be extradited, following a lengthy case in the Scottish courts.

Rossi had claimed he had been the victim of mistaken identity – telling courts he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight.

But a police officer found he was Nicholas Rossi, and the appeal against extradition was dismissed in December, removing all obstacles towards extradition.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said on Friday, December 5: “We assisted partner agencies with the extradition of a 36-year-old man.”

Rossi is wanted in the US for allegedly raping a woman in Utah in 2008 and also faces a number of domestic abuse charges.

He initially came to the attention of the authorities after being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow with Covid-19 in December 2021.

Rossi was served an Interpol red notice and a National Crime Agency certificate, a document Rossi claims never to have received, while he was in hospital the same month.