FUGITIVE Nicholas Rossi who faked his own death to avoid rape charges in the US has had his extradition order officially signed by the Scottish Government.
Rossi is wanted by authorities in Utah for allegedly raping a woman in 2008.
And it’s been revealed today that ministers made their decision and signed his extradition order on September 28.
Rossi also faces multiple complaints against him in Rhode Island for alleged domestic violence.
A court ruled in August there was no impediment to the 35-year-old being extradited and the decision was then placed before Scottish ministers.
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Despite a court ruling last November that he is Rossi, he insists it is a case of mistaken identity and that he is an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight.
In a short statement, the Scottish Government said: "The Scottish Ministers have made their decision regarding Mr Nicholas Rossi and signed an extradition order on 28 September 2023."
The statement was published on the government's website in response to a freedom of information request dated October 3, from an unnamed person, which said: "I notice that today is exactly two months since the sheriff’s extradition ruling which according to the background info you sent previously is the time limit for a decision by the minister.
"Are you able to clarify the current situation regarding this case."
The government added: "The Scottish Government will not be commenting further on this matter."
Rossi is wanted in the US for allegedly raping a woman in Utah in 2008 and also faces domestic abuse charges.
Authorities say he faked his own death in order to evade charges in the US.
It is unclear when Rossi left the US for the UK, as he continues to insist he Irish orphan Arthur Knight.
Under the guise of Arthur Brown, Rossi is believed to have met his wife, Miranda Knight, in Bristol in 2019 and married her in early 2020, assuming the name Arthur Knight.
They moved to Glasgow shortly afterwards but in 2021, Rossi became so ill with Covid-19 that he had to be hospitalised at the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
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In July 2020, DNA allegedly linked him to a 2008 rape in Utah which is ultimately what led to his discovery in Scotland.
He was arrested on December 13, 2021 at the Glasgow hospital by police officers who served him with an Interpol red notice.
With the assistance of medical staff at the hospital, the patient initially named as Arthur Knight was identified as Rossi.
Rossi continues to insist he is Arthur Knight and that the authorities have the wrong man.
In court appearances, he has maintained his pained English accent, with an Irish lilt whenever he mentions the word Dublin, where he claims to have been born.
In his latest interview with The Times, as Arthur Knight, he said he wanted the “real” Rossi to come forward to “save my wife and me from this mess”.
Sheriff McFadyen ruled at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in August that there was no impediment to Rossi’s extradition back to the US, with the final decision lying with the Scottish ministers.
The Scottish Government revealed today in an answer to a Freedom of Information request that Scottish ministers had signed Rossi’s extradition order on September 28.
