Who knew that a viral infection would end up catching a rape suspect. The man in custody claims to be Arthur Knight, but officials from the United Kingdom and the United States are convinced that "Mr. Knight" is Nicholas Rossi, an alleged rapist from Rhode Island who faked his death to escape justice. The rape charge dates to 2008 in Utah.
Mr. Rossi was apprehended at a Glasgow hospital by UK police while being treated for COVID in December 2021. He's adamant that Knight is his real identity, claiming he's never been to the United States. As for physical evidence presented by US officials to their counterparts in the UK to confirm his identity, which included fingerprints and tattoos, Rossi claims they are part of a frame job. The accused rapist argues British police tattooed his body while in a coma. Rossi has fired several lawyers during this legal battle that's lasted all year. A Scottish judge has ruled that the evidence presented has satisfied all the benchmarks proving that Mr. Knight is Rossi, which is another alias for Nicholas Alahverdian (via CBS News):
A judge in Scotland ruled Friday that a man who has spent almost a year fighting extradition to the United States is Nicholas Rossi, a fugitive alleged to have faked his own death to escape rape allegations.
The suspect was arrested in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19. He denies being Rossi and says he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who has never been to the U.S.
After seeing evidence including fingerprints and tattoos, judge Norman McFadyen told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that "I am ultimately satisfied on the balance of probabilities … that Mr. Knight is indeed Nicholas Rossi, the person sought for extradition by the United States."
The suspect has accused authorities of having him tattooed while he was in a coma to resemble the wanted man and of surreptitiously taking his fingerprints to frame him.
McFadyen said those claims of mistaken identity were "implausible" and "fanciful."
U.S. authorities say Rossi is an alias used by Nicholas Alahverdian, 35, who has been charged in connection with a 2008 rape in Utah.
What a circus of a story.