Nicholas Rossi Extradited from Scotland to Face Rape Charges in the US

A man who fought extradition from Scotland for two years has made his first appearance in a Utah court, where he is facing charges of rape. Nicholas Rossi, aged 36, was sent back to the United States last month after his claims of mistaken identity were dismissed by Scottish judges.

During the court hearing, Mr. Rossi, who continues to assert that he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, appeared via video link from prison before Utah’s Fourth District Court.

Previously, Mr. Rossi had refused to attend two separate court hearings in Utah related to the rape charges. He was warned last month that he could be compelled to attend the proceedings.

On Tuesday, Judge Derek Pullan formally charged Mr. Rossi with rape, a first-degree felony that allegedly occurred in September 2008 in Utah County. However, a separate charge of sexual battery was dismissed. The court scheduled another hearing in the case for next month.

In addition to the charges in Utah County, Mr. Rossi is also facing a separate rape allegation in Salt Lake County.

The arrest of Rossi, who was placed under an international arrest warrant in December 2021, took place after his hospitalization in Glasgow due to Covid-19. At the time, he claimed to be a victim of mistaken identity and insisted that his real name was Arthur Knight.

However, during a hearing in November 2022, a sheriff in Edinburgh ruled that the man was indeed Nicholas Rossi, as his tattoos and fingerprints matched the records. On December 14, 2023, Mr. Rossi lost his final appeal against extradition.

Utah prosecutors have stated that Mr. Rossi is charged with the rape of a 21-year-old woman in 2008. The delay in identifying Rossi as a suspect was due to the backlog of DNA test kits at the state’s crime lab.

During a previous hearing, Mr. Rossi vehemently denied being Nicholas Rossi and claimed that his name was Arthur Knight Brown.

The case has garnered significant media attention, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, due to the extradition battle and the allegations of rape against Mr. Rossi. The upcoming hearing next month will provide further insight into the charges he faces.