US man who faked death to escape rape charge nabbed in hospital after contracting COVID-19

An American man who is believed to have faked his own death and fled the US to escape prosecution over rape charges, has been apprehended by Glasgow, Rhode Island State Police after being hospitalised with severe Coronavirus, said authorities. According to a report published in The Guardian, Nicholas Alahverdian was wanted by Interpol for an alleged sexual assault case that took place in Utah, US back in 2008. During the investigation, it was discovered that the 34-year-old used a fake identity to get admission into the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and is currently in the custody of the police.

Alahverdian "fled the country to avoid prosecution and attempted to lead investigators and state legislators in other states to believe that he was deceased," said Utah prosecutors, reported The Guardian. Utah County Attorney David Leavitt said, "We have full faith and support of Scotland police in this matter." Ultimately, the decision regarding bail is left to the international courts until Mr. Rossi is extradited to the United States."

US man who faked death to escape rape charge caught in Glasgow hospital after contracting COVID-19

The 34-year-old US fugitive was arrested by police officials in Glasgow on December 13 over an international arrest warrant. The authorities found that he used fake identities while living overseas. He stayed at various locations and under different names like Nicholas Edward Rossi, Nicholas Alahverdian Rossi, Nick Alan, Nicholas Brown, Arthur Brown, and Arthur Knight.

According to reports that emerged back in 2020, Nicholas Alahverdian had succumbed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a news website named Everloved.com reported that his body was cremated and ashes scattered at sea. "Nicholas Alahverdian’s battle for life ended on February 29, 2020," read an online obituary. It was found that Alahverdian used a fake identity and was involved in local politics while he was staying in Rhode Island, as per reports.

Based on a report published by news agency AP, the document presented before the court on Thursday states that Alahverdian met a 21-year-old woman in 2008 on MySpace. The woman claimed that Alahverdian used the name Nicholas Rossi and cheated on her by taking away her money. He promised to pay her back, but instead, he sexually assaulted her in his apartment. Meanwhile, the FBI had also issued an arrest warrant against him over charges of cheating his foster father.

(With Inputs from AP)

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