NBC 'Dateline': Rape accused conman Nicholas Rossi attempts to convince the media that he is Brit Arthur Knight
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA : The story of the fugitive conman who faked his death featured in a Friday night special on 'Dateline' called "Dead Man Talking" while former Rhode Island resident Nicholas Alahverdian, also known as Nicholas Rossi, fights efforts to extradite him to the country to face fraud and sex abuse charges. The incident occurred the day after Rossi skipped his most recent extradition hearing due to an "altercation" in his cell, according to information provided to Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Rossi/Knight is charged with fabricating his own demise in order to escape the law and police. When discovered by authorities in Scotland, Rossi claimed to be an Englishman who had never even visited America. Rossi is under investigation by US authorities due to claims of raping a 21-year-old woman in Utah in 2008. Read the full story below.
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What are the claims Nicholas Rossi made on Dateline?
"I am not Nicholas Alahverdian," with an oxygen mask covering his lips and nose, he spoke to NBC in an odd accent and said, "I do not know how to make this clearer." Next to his British wife, Miranda Knight, Rossi made an appearance and spoke with Dateline. Rossi was determined to carry on with the lie during the interview, and he became so enraged that he lost vision through his thin, round-framed glasses. He said, "We were once a normal family, but thanks to the media our lives have been interrupted." He continued speaking in what sounded like an English accent, "And we'd like privacy and I would like to go back to being a normal husband, but I can't because I can't breathe, I can't walk.
Rossi attempted to stand up before dramatically falling back into his chair as his wife helped to steady him in a last-ditch effort to demonstrate that he is unable to walk. When asked if he is faking it, he said: "That is a low blow, that is a very low blow." Rossi checked himself into a hospital in Glasgow in October 2021 with a severe COVID infection. He was then first detained. He states that this condition now requires him to utilize an oxygen tank. His tattoos were compared to images of Rossi on an Interpol red notice, which allowed medical professionals and police to recognize him.
Why did Nicholas Rossi not attend his latest extradition hearing in court?
Rossi's attorney, Stuart Murray, informed Sheriff Norman McFayden that there "appeared to be some difficulty downstairs" while explaining Rossi's absence from court. While Mr. Murray claimed his client denied declining to appear in court, Advocate Depute Paul Harvey claimed there had been an "altercation". Sheriff McFadyen stated that he believed security personnel were "not prepared to bring him to court" as a result of the alleged altercation.
Reports on Rossi's physical and mental health are still awaited by his defense team. They are also anticipating more information on the state of human rights in Utah-based US prisons and detention centers, where Rossi would be sent if he were to be extradited. Sheriff McFayden said on Thursday that he would grant the defense an additional two weeks to get expert findings, with a deadline of May 4.
A subsequent preliminary hearing is expected for May 22. Rossi is now being held without bail.