US fugitive Nicholas Rossi who is facing rape charges in America has finally been set a jury trial date nearly a year after he was extradited from Scotland to Utah.
Rossi, 37, faces first-degree felony rape charges stemming from allegations in 2008. He was linked to the Utah County case through a 2018 sexual assault kit initiative. A separate Salt Lake County case was initiated after a woman came forward upon seeing news of his extradition.
Rossi’s attorney, Samantha Dugan, stated she is still negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors but requested a jury trial be scheduled as a precaution yesterday (November 15). The trial is set to begin on April 22, following jury selection on April 21, according to local reports.
During the hearing, Rossi appeared virtually from the Utah County Jail wearing an oxygen mask. He did not speak but waved as the session concluded.
Rossi tried to convince a court that he was Arthur Knight as he fought extradition from Scotland, claiming to be the victim of mistaken identity.
He recently admitted for the first time that he and the alias Arthur Knight are the same person, after officers testified that DNA evidence confirms he is Nicholas Rossi. However he denies fleeing to the UK in 2017 to escape arrest.
Speaking with an American accent, he told the court last month that he had left the country and later claimed to be Irish orphan Arthur Knight in order to escape threats.
Rossi was extradited to the US at the start of this year despite his claim that he had never been to America.
His identity came to light when he was treated for Covid-19 at a hospital in Glasgow in December 2021.
Staff recognised his tattoos – images of which had been circulated by Interpol – and he was arrested.
During a two-year legal process he denied he was Rossi, continuing to insist his name was Arthur Knight and that he was the victim of mistaken identity.
He explained away the tattoos, saying they must have been done while he was unconscious in hospital.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance signed an order granting Rossi’s extradition in September 2023, and he was flown back to America in January.
In the Utah County case, his next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, where the judge has suggested setting a jury trial.
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