LONDON: A US fugitive who allegedly faked his own death to escape rape charges in the state of Utah was extradited from the UK on Friday, police said.
Nicholas Rossi, 36, was first detained in 2021 after checking himself into a hospital in the Scottish city of Glasgow with Covid-19, where he was served an Interpol notice.
The UK government signed off on his removal back to the US last week after a Scottish court approved his extradition in August.
Scottish police confirmed that it had helped “partner agencies with the extradition of a 36-year-old man” to Edinburgh Airport, where he was extradited to the US on a private flight.
Rossi had previously appealed against the extradition order, which was heard in Edinburgh in December.
However, appeal judges said in a written ruling on Dec 14 there was “no merit” in any of Rossi’s arguments.
He is wanted by authorities in Utah for allegedly raping a woman in 2008 and is accused of faking his own death to avoid prosecution.
He initially came to the attention of the authorities after he became ill with Covid-19 and was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in December 2021.
Despite a judge ruling that he is Rossi, he claimed to be a victim of mistaken identity and is an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight.
Medical staff and police were able to identify him by comparing his tattoos with pictures of Rossi on the wanted notice and fingerprints.
Rossi claimed he had been tattooed while comatose in hospital and that his fingerprints had been meddled with.
He claimed to suffer from various psychiatric ailments when appearing by video link at Edinburgh Sheriff Court during his extradition case in August.
The judge concluded, “He is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative” and approved his extradition.
