Nicholas Alahverdian, a Rhode Island man, fled to Scotland to evade rape charges as well as charges of financial fraud. The 34-year old man faked his own death and left the U.S., probably in 2020. He was arrested in Scotland, after he was found hospitalized due to a COVID-19 infection.
Rhode Island State Police Major Robert Creamer told the Providence Journal that Alahverdian was traced to a hospital in Glasgow, after he was placed in a ventilator at a hospital in the city. He had developed a serious case of COVID-19.
Utah County Attorney General David Leavitt’s office said that hospital staff had verified his identity after they compared a photo of their patient with that of the photo of Alahverdian that had been provided by investigators. Further details, including a future extradition have not been mentioned, as yet.
About two years ago, the Rhode Islander told local media, including The Providence Journal that he had late-stage non-lymphoma and would live for only a few weeks. In February 29, 2020 an obituary was published online that claimed that he had died. However, his former lawyer and former foster family publicly doubted the veracity of the news.
Alahverdian had strongly criticized the child welfare system of Rhode Island. He said that he had been sexually abused, when he was in foster care, under the state’s system. He is wanted in Ohio. He is accused of taking 22 credit cards and loans in the name of his foster father and piling up debts of more than $200,000, according to the FBI.
These are not the only charges that he faces. He has also been accused of raping women. On Thursday, court documents were unsealed in Utah. They note that he sexually assaulted a 21-year old woman in 2008, when he was living in Orem, Utah under the name of Nicholas Rossi. He had also had been convicted of two sex-related charges in 2008 and also did not register as a sexual offender.
When asked if he would face charges for faking his death, to avoid arrest, Utah officials did not comment. He will be facing rape charges as well as charges for financial fraud. Whether these new charges of faking his death and or perhaps of leaving the country when he had charges against him, will also be added, remains to be seen.
