U.S. Con Man Accused of Faking His Death Is Reportedly Arrested for Rape in U.K.

Nicholas Alahverdian aka “Nick Rossi,” a U.S. fugitive being held in Scotland after allegedly faking his own death, has been arrested on suspicion of a 2017 rape in England, according to reports in Scottish media. The arrest raises questions over whether an investigation will further delay Alahverdian’s extradition, which was finally approved by Scotland’s justice secretary on Sept. 28 following months of litigation. The new arrest concerns a woman who says Alahverdian raped her in Essex after the two met online, according to The Daily Record. Alahverdian, who is facing two charges of rape in Utah, has long claimed he is Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan who is the victim of mistaken identity. In August, a Scottish court ruled that the extradition process against him could go ahead, after concluding in Nov. 2022 that the man calling himself “Knight” was Alahverdian, originally of Rhode Island.