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Nicholas Rossi rape case:The Utah court on Monday sentenced an American man, Nicholas Rossi, to a term of five years to life imprisonment for raping his ex-girlfriend in 2008, ending a bizarre saga that saw him fake his own death, flee overseas, and assume multiple false identities to evade justice.

Rossi, 38, who also went by the name Nicholas Alahverdian, had been on the run for years before authorities tracked him down in Scotland in 2021. He was extradited back to the United States in January 2024 after a lengthy legal battle.

District Judge Barry Lawrence described Rossi as “the very definition of a flight risk” while handing down the sentence in a Salt Lake City courtroom. “He fled the country, changed his identity multiple times, and even faked his own death to avoid facing accountability,” the judge said.

Under Utah’s sentencing guidelines, the punishment for rape carries an indeterminate term ranging from five years to life. The state’s parole board will decide if and when Rossi will be eligible for release.

Faked Death, Dozens of Aliases

Rossi’s extraordinary attempts to avoid capture included publishing an obituary in 2020 that falsely claimed he had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He even convinced acquaintances and family that he had succumbed to cancer before disappearing.

In 2021, he resurfaced in Scotland, where he posed as an Irish man named Arthur Knight. He was arrested after checking into a Glasgow hospital for COVID-19 treatment, when medical staff recognized his tattoos from an Interpol notice. Investigators later confirmed his identity through fingerprint and DNA analysis.

Authorities said Rossi had used at least a dozen aliases over the years to conceal his whereabouts. “He is a serial manipulator who has left a trail of pain, fear, and deceit,” prosecutors told the court.

Convicted in Two Rape Cases

Rossi was convicted in August 2025 of raping his former girlfriend in Utah in 2008. The woman, who remains unnamed for legal reasons, told the court that she met Rossi through an online ad. They began dating briefly before the relationship turned abusive.

“This is not a plea for vengeance, but a plea for safety and accountability,” she said during sentencing, describing the long-term trauma she suffered.

In a separate case, Rossi was also found guilty in September of another rape committed the same year in northern Utah. He is scheduled to be sentenced for that offence in November. Throughout both trials, Rossi denied all allegations, maintaining that he was a victim of mistaken identity. At various points, he even claimed that his fingerprints and tattoos had been altered while he was unconscious in a hospital.

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Utah authorities reopened the 2008 rape cases in 2018 after DNA evidence linked Rossi to the crimes as part of a statewide initiative to clear a backlog of untested rape kits. His identification led to the international manhunt that ultimately ended in Scotland.

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Rossi’s capture and conviction mark the conclusion of a 17-year pursuit that prosecutors say highlights both the resilience of victims and the evolving power of forensic investigation. He now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a Utah prison.

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