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Rape Suspect Accused of Faking His Own Death Will Be Extradited to U.S.

Nicholas Rossi allegedly fled to the U.K. to avoid prosecution.

A rape suspect accused of faking his own death and cooking up a bizarre cover story will be extradited to the U.S., the Scottish government confirmed Thursday. Nicholas Rossi, who maintains that he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, has been embroiled in a lengthy legal battle to avoid extradition, with an Edinburgh court ruling in August that he should be sent to America to answer for his alleged crimes. U.S. authorities claim the 35-year-old fled to Britain to avoid prosecution, with an obituary for Rossi appearing online in 2020 after he told friends he was dying of cancer. He was arrested on a COVID ward in a hospital in Scotland the following year, with a court later ruling that he really is Rossi. The August extradition ruling required final approval from the Scottish government, which has now been approved.