Former fugitive Nicholas Rossi, also known by his alias Nicholas Alahverdian, is set to be sentenced Monday afternoon after being found guilty earlier this year of rape charges stemming from a 2008 assault in Salt Lake County.
The sentencing, scheduled for 2 p.m., marks the latest development in a long and complex legal saga that saw Rossi flee the United States, assume a false identity overseas, and fight extradition for years before finally being returned to Utah.
Rossi was convicted by a jury in August 2025 after a three-day trial. Prosecutors said the case involved a woman who met Rossi while recovering from a brain injury. The victim described their initial connection as a whirlwind relationship that began on her birthday, explaining that Rossi was “very charming” and seemed genuinely interested in “school, politics, and music.”
However, the relationship quickly soured. The victim testified that Rossi repeatedly asked her for money, including funds for car repairs and $1,000 to avoid eviction. She said his behavior soon became manipulative and controlling, culminating in the 2008 assault.
Rossi, who refused to testify in his own defense, was ultimately found guilty of rape by the jury.
After the initial allegations surfaced, Rossi fled the country, beginning one of Utah’s most notorious criminal manhunts in recent memory. For years, he lived under various aliases — most notably “Arthur Knight” — and claimed that law enforcement had mistaken him for another man. He insisted publicly that he was not Nicholas Rossi and that he had never lived in Utah.
Rossi’s evasion ended when he was arrested in Scotland while hospitalized for COVID-19. Following months of legal appeals in the U.K., he was extradited to the United States in January 2024 to face the Utah rape charges.
In September 2025, Rossi was convicted in a separate 2008 rape case involving another woman he met online. In that case, prosecutors said Rossi lured the victim to his home under the pretense of repaying borrowed money but instead assaulted her.
The court is expected to determine Rossi’s prison sentence during today’s hearing, bringing a measure of closure to victims and concluding one of Utah’s most bizarre and internationally watched criminal proceedings.
