← Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
He Faked His Death to Escape Rape Charges! The Most Bizarre Fugitive Story Ever
00:22:18
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- [00:00]
A
Hi, I'm Kristen Bell, and if you know my husband Dax, then you also know he loves shopping for a car. Selling a car, not so much.
- [00:07]
B
We're really doing this, huh?
- [00:09]
A
Thankfully, Carvana makes it easy. Answer a few questions, put in your VIN or license and done. We sold ours in minutes this morning and they'll come pick it up and pay us this afternoon.
- [00:19]
B
Bye bye, Truckee.
- [00:21]
A
Of course, we kept the favorite.
- [00:24]
B
Hello, other Truckee.
- [00:26]
A
Sell your car with Carvana today. Terms and conditions apply.
- [00:30]
B
Hey, everyone. I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious. This is not just another crime story today, folks. This is a. How do I say it? This is a labyrinth of deceit and falsified identities and absolute obsession. This is a man who committed multiple crimes and then faked his own death, fled halfway across the globe and hid behind multiple phony aliases. This was a guy who pushed his lies as far as humanly possible all the way into a court of law. Multiple courts, in fact. His name is Nicholas Rossi, but he goes by a whole lot of aliases, like Nicholas Alaverdian and get this, Arthur Knight in the uk. Bizarre, I know, it's almost like King Arthur. But Arthur Knight was apparently an Irish orphan that he'd concocted who appeared in a Scottish courtroom in a wheelchair, strapped to an oxygen tank, insisting that he was the victim of mistaken identity. You cannot make this shit up. It is brazen gall. But just before that little stunt, Arthur, AKA Nicholas, who faked his own death, complete with an obituary and a tragic story of cancer that took his life. But prosecutors say none of this was real. Behind the disguises and the lies was just a man, a con artist, a criminal, a criminal who escaped prosecution for decades. A criminal named Nicholas Rossi. And behind Nicholas was a very dark crime from 2008 that left behind a survivor who never, ever forgot what happened to her. And thank God for this survivor. Truly, she is the hero of this story who brought down Nicholas's web of lies and deceit and his worldwide crime spree. And I'm going to get to all of that. I want to start at the beginning of this story because everything sort of began innocently enough on Craigslist. I know that that sounds weird to say innocently enough on Craigslist, but It did. A 21 year old woman from Utah recovering from a traumatic brain injury, answered a personal ad. She was vulnerable and she was looking for a connection. And enter Nicholas Rossi. He charmed her, he wooed her. And within just two weeks, somehow he was able to convince her to marry him, and poof, they were engaged. But the fairy tale unraveled, really, honestly, almost immediately, Nicholas Rossi began leaning on this woman for money. Yeah, you've seen it, you've heard it. It happened to her. First it was money to cover their dates. Then it was money for car repairs, and eventually it was money for his rent. In fact, she said she gave him nearly $1,000 just so that he wouldn't get evicted. But eventually, the 21 year old woman saw the relationship for what it was. It was a whirlwind romance that quickly turned into manipulation. And that would have been it if it weren't for December of 2008. Nicholas Rossi's victim said that she and Nicholas had an argument and that when they got back to his place, she tried to leave. But she would eventually tell the authorities that Nicholas pulled her into his bedroom, threw her down on the bed and raped her. She said she froze and that she was paralyzed with fear and unable to fight back. And here's the problem. She didn't go to the police right away because she said she was terrified and deeply, deeply ashamed. That is not unusual for a woman who is raped. The last thing she wants to do is tell anybody about it. The shame, which is so unfair but so real, is palpable. And then when she confided in her parents, she said that sadly, they dismissed her concern. So she says she just buried the trauma and stayed silent for years. But, and it's a big one. She did one very, very important thing, and thank Jesus she did, because this may well have saved the case. She went to the hospital after the rape, and the doctors at the hospital performed a sexual assault exam and collected a rape kit. Oh, but this one hurts to report. That rape kit, like tens of thousands of other rape kits on all across the country, sat there sealed and untested for years. And can I just tell you, across the country, this is such a repetitive story. Rape kits have been sealed for decades and untested. Just, you know, too many overwhelming budgets that can't afford to do all the testing. And in this particular case, for more than a decade, Nicholas Rossi's victim carried her secret on her own. And that rape kit stayed untested. By then, Nicholas Rossi had reinvented himself in Rhode island, and the name he chose, Nicholas Oliverdian. And weirdly, he was a loud critic of the child welfare system. I know I don't really get it either, but that was him. But then in 2018, a full 10 years after Rossi had raped the woman in Utah, that he had been scamming out of thousands and thousands of dollars. Utah began clearing its backlog of old rape kits, and investigators eventually tested hers. And wouldn't you know it, the DNA came back, and it was Nicholas Rossi. That was the name they found. Now, fast forward two years to 2020, and a bombshell. Early that year, a man named Nicholas Oliverdian told reporters that he was dying. You know, he was this activist, right, right. Against child welfare system, and he was dying. And he had late stage non hodgkin's lymphoma and only weeks to live. Crimea River. On February 29, that rare leap day, an obituary appeared online, and it painted a heartbreaking picture. Nicholas oliverdian, gone at just 32 years old. Surrounded by family, surrounded by loved ones. Cremated at sea. His ashes scattered in the waves. There was just one problem. A big one. No death certificate, no hospital record, no cremation, no nothing. Because Nicholas Oliverdian, AKA Nicholas rossi, was not dead. Nicholas Rossi was hiding, and investigators knew it because of the rape kit that tied the DNA to Nicholas Rossi. Warrants were issued, and police said they believed that their fugitive fled the country overseas. So interpol was now brought in. So this thing's starting to get global, right? Red notices went out, and if you don't know what a red notice is, it's kind of like an international wanted alert. And Nicholas Rossi's photo with his very distinctive tattoos started making the rounds with international investigators. And please bury this one away, like, file it away for a little bit, because those tattoos, they're going to be everything in just a minute. And by late 2021, Nicholas Rossi's luck finally ran out. He showed up in a hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, with COVID registering under the name. Are you sitting down? Arthur knight. I'm surprised he didn't add king to that name, but Arthur knight. Okay, but the staff at the hospital smelled a rat. They had seen his face before. Guess where the interpol alerts. Wow. I mean, imagine that. The hospital staff had seen the interpol alerts, and on top of that, they matched the distinctive tattoos on his arms to the tattoos in the interpol photos. And it was undeniable. Nicholas Rossi was in their hospital bed. Nicholas Rossi had been found. So he. He was arrested right away, booked into jail, and charged in Scotland. But what happened next was absolutely bonkers. He rolled into a Scottish courtroom in a wheelchair, strapped to an oxygen tank, speaking in a heavy Irish brogue, right? Like theatrical Irish brogue, Swearing that he was not Nicholas Rossi from America, but that he was instead Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan. I don't know. I'm trying the Irish accent best I can, but he said he was Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan wrongly accused. And he called himself a victim of mistaken identity. Think about this. He's like, he's not just lying to the police at this point. He's in a court of law, full on perjury, saying, I'm Arthur Knight, y'. All. I'm not that Nicholas Rossi dude from America. And he's got the oxygen tank in the wheelchair, and somehow he thinks he's gonna pull this all off. And don't forget he's got the tattoos on his arm, and there's photos of his face as Nicholas Rossi. But he's just going right ahead, full steam ahead in court, swearing to God that he's Arthur Knight. And if that's not enough, and this was where it gets funny, I mean, the other is legal. It's awful. He's perjuring himself. He's lying in a court of law, but he decides to go on a media tour. He goes on a media tour all around the world, proclaiming his innocence and swearing to anybody who will listen that he is Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan who's been caught up in the Scottish legal system. Mistaken identity. And here's what's great. My colleague Dan Abrams used to do a show on my network, News Nation, and it was called Dan Abrams Tonight. And he scored an interview with Nicholas Rossi, who's bullshitting away as this Irish orphan, Arthur Knight. And the interview is so nuts. He's got the oxygen mask on. He's got someone kind of helping him navigate when you can't understand what he's saying. But, man, this guy is having, you know, but man, this guy is so committed to his lie, like, Dan could barely hold it in. And I love the fact that Dan said, just show me the tattoos. Just roll up your sleeve there, fella. If you're not who they say you are, just show your arms. Without those distinctive tattoos, you have to see it for yourself. Take a look at this interview.
- [11:54]
C
Now you hear from the man himself, as well as the woman he claims is his wife and his former attorney, Craig Johnson, who Knight has since replaced. I spoke with them about why so many are convinced that he actually Alaverdi and why Knight says he's being set up by Utah prosecutors and whether Prosecutors actually have DNA evidence linking the man known as Arthur Knight to Oliverdian's alleged crimes. Mr. Knight was wearing an oxygen mask for the interview because he says he's still suffering from COVID I will call you Arthur. Before we get into some of the details. Why do you think everyone is so convinced that you are actually Nicholas Oliverdian?
- [12:35]
D
Thank you very much. I think such a part of your books, actually. I know I felt like had the opportunity to do these circumstances, but this is a public relations mission.
- [13:03]
C
I'm sorry to interrupt. It's just really hard to hear you. Is there any way, just while you're answering the question, you could take off the oxygen mask? Or is that not because we really can't even understand you? Let me ask Miranda then. Miranda, can you just sort of tell me in essence what he was saying?
- [13:27]
D
So. Good evening. And this will not be over until my name. Good evening. Good evening, Dan. What Arthur is saying is that this is all a storm in a teacup. When I am a hurricane. When Arthur is a hurricane.
- [13:48]
C
So, Craig, how has Arthur, as he's known to you, done anything to demonstrate to you that he's not the person who is Nicholas Oliverdian? Or are you just sort of representing his interest as an attorney?
- [14:05]
E
Good evening. I just got back. We can mute my client for a minute. I just got back from spending four days in Scotland with him. And his wife was able to see his arms as proof that he does not have the tattoos supposedly that Mr. Rossi had. In addition, during those entire time with him, some 12 to 16 hour days, I never saw him off of his oxygen mask. It all seemed genuine to me. There were times that I had to help him out of his wheelchair into a sitting chair for dinner, things like that. Into his car. And so from my perspective, he is not Mr. Rossi. He's never been to the United States.
- [14:52]
C
And what about the DNA?
- [14:53]
E
They have the wrong.
- [14:54]
C
What about the DNA? What about the DNA combination?
- [14:59]
E
That's inaccurate.
- [15:00]
C
The DA is making that up. No, no, that. We just heard that from the. We just played. Yeah, we just played the sound from the prosecutor in Utah who said that there was a DNA match.
- [15:11]
E
Yes, he is inaccurate. And we're looking forward to proving that beyond a reasonable doubt.
- [15:17]
C
I want to ask you, Arthur, if you would show us your arms, because that would. That could easily sort of. Can you roll up your sleeves? Can you roll up the top of your sleeves and go ahead. So I think. No, it would look. And again, it's hard to tell from here, but the authorities are concerned, of course, that you were.
- [15:50]
D
He would have it. Yeah.
- [15:53]
C
Look, why would he want to target you? Can I ask you this? Why does he want to target some random guy in Scotland? Why. Why would a guy why would a prosecutor in Utah decide, oh, let me find some random guy in Scotland and try and target him for this? Yeah, Miranda, you want to take a shot at that one? I don't know if she can hear me, but I'll let Craig take a shot at that. Craig, why would the prosecutors want to find some random guy who's never been to the United States in Scotland, and target him the way that your client seems to be suggesting he's targeted?
- [16:32]
E
Yeah, Dan, I certainly can't impute motives to Mr. Levitt on this. I can just ensure my client's constitutional rights are protected. And this is a case beyond a reasonable doubt that they need to prove, and certainly based on a lot of speculation of rumors, I don't think they can.
- [16:48]
C
I'll admit, when I was doing that interview, I couldn't understand a word he was saying. But his arms, they say maybe he had them removed. You tell me. We'll continue to follow the story.
- [16:59]
B
Crazy, right? I guess there's no other way to, like, describe that interview. It's just crazy. But it's on tape. It's in the archives. The judges in school, Scotland, by the way, they weren't buying what Arthur Knight, AKA Nicholas Rossi, was selling either. And one by one, the rulings against him came down, and the court decided that Arthur Knight and Nicholas Rossi were one in the same man. And after years and years of appeals, Nicholas Rossi's luck finally ran out. In January of 2024, he was put on an airplane and extradited back to the United States of America, back to Utah to face the charges that he had spent more than a decade dodging. But even arriving back in the U.S. nicholas Rossi was hell bent on keeping up the act. And in one of his first hearings, he told the court that he was not this Nicholas Rossi at all, but that he was, in fact, an orphan named. And he added another name. So here we go. Arthur Knight Brown. But, you know, all good things have to come to an end, right? And this charade could not last. In October of 2024, the mask finally came off during a hearing. Nicholas Rossi dropped the act and admitted what everybody already knew. He was, indeed Nicholas Rossi. I don't know if maybe his lawyer got through to him. I don't know if maybe he realized, I'd better fall on some kind of Knight's sword, pardon the pun, or things are going to get way worse for me in this American courtroom. Whatever the reason was, he copped to it finally. And the moment was really jarring. He ditched the Fake accent, and then. Don't ask. He launched into a full explanation of why all of these names and this big act, claiming that he'd only changed his name because his life was in danger and that death threats had been coming in. He told the court that the supposed threats were tied to his work pushing foster care reform. Remember the. The on the east coast when he had a whole other name and was, you know, the. The political activist? Yeah. He brought that back into the fray. So for the prosecutors, was just one more of his silly little performances. Another chapter in a very long pattern of reinvention and full on deceit. Now Fast forward to August 11, 2025, the day that his trial finally began for the rape of his former girlfriend. Way back in 2008, Nicholas Rossi was wheeled into a Salt Lake county courtroom. And he's still clinging to the same props. I know. I don't get it either. He's got the wheelchair, he's got the oxygen tank, yada, Yada, yada. Over three days, jurors heard how this short relationship in 2008 turned coercive, manipulative, and terrifying. The victim described the whirlwind engagement, the financial manipulation culminating in the assault. Prosecution laid out the DNA evidence, the years of evasion, and the hoax obituary. But Rossi's lawyers, well, they were earning their keep. They claimed that the victim's story was grounded in resentment and ulterior motives. But in the end, just like in Scotland, jury wasn't buying it. On August 14, 2025, after eight hours of deliberation, the jury came back with an American verdict ready, Maybe not surprisingly, guilty. His sentencing is scheduled for October 20, 2025. And that is when Nicholas Rossi, no matter who he decides he is that day, is facing five years to life in prison for that 2008 rape. But the story does not end there. No, of course not. Not with Nicholas Rossi. Turns out there's a second rape. There is an entire second rape case in Utah county. And the jury is scheduled for selection September 15, 2025. So I guess, oh, you can't write this stuff, right? I guess the moral of the story is, you know, you may have the balls to put on a show, and you may have the brazen commitment to try to push that show as far as you can, but the truth is, you can't run, but you cannot hide. You can act, but you can't act your way out of a paper bag. If you're an idiot like Nicholas Rossi, I mean, honestly, his story reads like a bad movie script, but it is all true. He is not a political activist. He is not an Irish orphan. He is not a tragic cancer victim. He is not the subject of an obituary. He is a convicted rapist, period. And he's awaiting sentencing. And he might just be a multiple offender awaiting sentencing. Again, we're going to wait to see what happens in September. And yeah, I got your back on this one. I'll keep you updated, but make sure you subscribe because I might just drop this as a quick short as we get these updates in his cases, plural. In the meantime, I'm Ashley Banfield. Thanks so much for listening and watching. And remember, the truth isn't just serious. Let's drop dead serious.