The Nicholas Alahverdian Story

[Giraffe Stapler]

Tom Mooney of the Providence Journal comes through again. More of a re-cap but it fills in some details that have been missing.

Providence Journal: Nick Alahverdian, man of many aliases, is set to finally confront his fate in Scotland

After getting court warrants to search the digital information stored from Alahverdian's electronic devices, law enforcement officials keyed in on Alahverdian's location. Those searches turned up business records and bank transactions, as well as photographs of him and Miranda in and around Glasgow, Scotland.

On an October day last year, records show, Scottish police knocked on Alahverdian’s apartment door. Miranda told them her husband, Arthur Knight, was in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital suffering from COVID.

Shortly after Alahverdian awoke from a coma, Scottish police returned to the hospital. Armed with an Interpol warrant, they arrested Alahverdian in his hospital bed at 11:08 a.m. on Dec. 13.

So we finally have confirmation that the hospital did not identify him and report him to INTERPOL. The FBI had already tracked him down. They just happened to catch up to him when he was in hospital. The bit about the warrants to search "the digital information stored from Alahverdian's electronic devices" implies that he was still using the same Apple or Google accounts and/or the same phones, which would be colossally stupid if you're pretending to be dead.

[Vigilant]

Tom Mooney of the Providence Journal comes through again. More of a re-cap but it fills in some details that have been missing.

Providence Journal: Nick Alahverdian, man of many aliases, is set to finally confront his fate in Scotland

After getting court warrants to search the digital information stored from Alahverdian's electronic devices, law enforcement officials keyed in on Alahverdian's location. Those searches turned up business records and bank transactions, as well as photographs of him and Miranda in and around Glasgow, Scotland.

On an October day last year, records show, Scottish police knocked on Alahverdian’s apartment door. Miranda told them her husband, Arthur Knight, was in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital suffering from COVID.

Shortly after Alahverdian awoke from a coma, Scottish police returned to the hospital. Armed with an Interpol warrant, they arrested Alahverdian in his hospital bed at 11:08 a.m. on Dec. 13.

So we finally have confirmation that the hospital did not identify him and report him to INTERPOL. The FBI had already tracked him down. They just happened to catch up to him when he was in hospital. The bit about the warrants to search "the digital information stored from Alahverdian's electronic devices" implies that he was still using the same Apple or Google accounts and/or the same phones, which would be colossally stupid if you're pretending to be dead.

[Vigilant]

No sign of Miranda

[Giraffe Stapler]

There is more on the 6:30pm ITV news but once again I can't work out where the precise link to it is as I think it's buried somewhere in the regional sections.

Sorry, hopefully someone with more expertise can add it.

Was it this one?

[iii]

US fugitive Nicholas Rossi claims he was tattooed while in coma at Scots hospital to frame him

Nuff said.

[ArmasRebane]

Can't imagine what compels someone to keep supporting a nutter like that, especially in court. He's certainly no prize, and doesn't exactly ooze charisma.

[Anroth]

US fugitive Nicholas Rossi claims he was tattooed while in coma at Scots hospital to frame him

Nuff said.

I mean, that's a decent plot point for a film.... maybe with Gerard Butler, he escapes from the van on the way to the airport and seeks his revenge violently across Scotland.... it turns out the real Nicholas is in disguise as the sheriff.

It writes itself.

[The Garbage Scow]

Can't imagine what compels someone to keep supporting a nutter like that, especially in court. He's certainly no prize, and doesn't exactly ooze charisma.

She testified she met him in the UK in 2012 and began a relationship with him in 2017. I wonder if they'll pursue her for perjury because that sounds like grade A horseshit.

[el84]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

[The Garbage Scow]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

How many is that now? I think two in Utah and one more someplace else, yes?

[Vigilant]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

But the man, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, said the fingerprints on the extradition request had been meddled with.

And when asked why his voice switched from posh English to other accents during the hearing, he blamed oxygen deprivation.

[Giraffe Stapler]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

The case that started the extradition process was from Utah County. The Salt Lake County case was announced previously. I think the third case is new, but, honestly, I've lost track.

There is also an accusation from a woman in Essex, England. I do not believe he has been charged with that yet. It is unclear to me if that case would delay his extradition.

[ArmasRebane]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

But the man, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, said the fingerprints on the extradition request had been meddled with.

And when asked why his voice switched from posh English to other accents during the hearing, he blamed oxygen deprivation.

Kind of peak Dumb American Logic there to think going to the UK and adopting an accent from the Isles would be a great plan to avoid detection.

[Beeblebrox]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

But the man, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, said the fingerprints on the extradition request had been meddled with.

And when asked why his voice switched from posh English to other accents during the hearing, he blamed oxygen deprivation.

Kind of peak Dumb American Logic there to think going to the UK and adopting an accent from the Isles would be a great plan to avoid detection.

Oh c'mon now, everyone knows that low oxygen levels cause people's accents to change. And getting covid can cause you fingerprints to become identical to those of a wanted rapist. It's basic science.

[Vigilant]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

But the man, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, said the fingerprints on the extradition request had been meddled with.

And when asked why his voice switched from posh English to other accents during the hearing, he blamed oxygen deprivation.

Kind of peak Dumb American Logic there to think going to the UK and adopting an accent from the Isles would be a great plan to avoid detection.

Oh c'mon now, everyone knows that low oxygen levels cause people's accents to change. And getting covid can cause you fingerprints to become identical to those of a wanted rapist. It's basic science.

And everyone knows that tattoos face when undergoing hypoxia.

[The Garbage Scow]

More allegations, it seems?

Dunno if this has been discussed here yet.

But the man, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, said the fingerprints on the extradition request had been meddled with.

And when asked why his voice switched from posh English to other accents during the hearing, he blamed oxygen deprivation.

Kind of peak Dumb American Logic there to think going to the UK and adopting an accent from the Isles would be a great plan to avoid detection.

Oh c'mon now, everyone knows that low oxygen levels cause people's accents to change. And getting covid can cause you fingerprints to become identical to those of a wanted rapist. It's basic science.

And everyone knows that tattoos face when undergoing hypoxia.

Kind of like the the bizarro version of disappearing ink.

Joking aside, I'm wondering when he'll start openly claiming this is all a CIA conspiracy.

[Boing! said Zebedee]

Latest shock development: "Nicholas Rossi: Arrested man is missing US fugitive, court rules"

I bet nobody saw that coming

[Jim]

He will now face an extradition hearing in March, when the Scottish courts will decide whether to send him back to the US to stand trial on the allegations against him.

[Vigilant]

He will now face an extradition hearing in March, when the Scottish courts will decide whether to send him back to the US to stand trial on the allegations against him.

Nick will never not be in prison again.

[Hereandthere]

March? I’ll run out of popcorn by then!

[Vigilant]

March? I’ll run out of popcorn by then!

Costco is your friend in this hour of need.

[Vigilant]

There's a True Crime podcast about this case

[tarantino]

Scotland Tonight went to a Providence pub to talk to people that knew Nicky.

The man at the centre of one of Scotland’s most bizarre extradition cases is a fugitive with multiple aliases. In a small Providence pub, another name has been added to that long list: ‘Three questions Nick’.

The bar staff called him ‘Three questions Nick” as he would just pepper them with questions. So, they established a house rule – only three questions and then shut up.

[Vigilant]

Scotland Tonight went to a Providence pub to talk to people that knew Nicky.

The man at the centre of one of Scotland’s most bizarre extradition cases is a fugitive with multiple aliases. In a small Providence pub, another name has been added to that long list: ‘Three questions Nick’.

The bar staff called him ‘Three questions Nick” as he would just pepper them with questions. So, they established a house rule – only three questions and then shut up.

[AndyTheGrump]

Scotland Tonight went to a Providence pub to talk to people that knew Nicky.

The man at the centre of one of Scotland’s most bizarre extradition cases is a fugitive with multiple aliases. In a small Providence pub, another name has been added to that long list: ‘Three questions Nick’.

The bar staff called him ‘Three questions Nick” as he would just pepper them with questions. So, they established a house rule – only three questions and then shut up.

"He always spoke highly of himself, but not many other people did.”

[Midsize Jake]

Nick made the Washington Post again. What a guy!

And as for the popcorn...

March? I’ll run out of popcorn by then!

Costco is your friend in this hour of need.

Just in case you live out in the sticks where there's no Costco, and you don't mind further enriching Jeff Bezos & Co., Amazon does still have the good ol' 50-lb. bag.

[Hereandthere]

Thanks for the popcorn leads!

[Hereandthere]

https://twitter.com/skynews/status/1591 ... IFg5_kdeZg

Do we have this here already. Sorry if we have. Video courtroom clip.

[Jim]

https://twitter.com/skynews/status/1591 ... IFg5_kdeZg

Do we have this here already. Sorry if we have. Video courtroom clip.

Thanks for that.

It also leads to this article:
Nicholas Rossi: Man arrested on COVID ward in Scotland is American rape suspect who faked his own death, court rules

With such timeless gems as:

During the course of his defence, the wanted man made a series of bizarre claims to explain away the biometric evidence put before the court.

He told the sheriff that he did not have any tattoos before his admission to hospital and that he "awoke" from a coma to find his body had been tattooed while he was unconscious.

In another strange twist, he alleged the fingerprints on the Interpol warrant only matched his own because they were taken by an NHS employee in Glasgow. He claimed a man known only as "Patrick" took the prints while he was sedated and then sent them to a corrupt official in Utah who in turn circulated them to Interpol.

The judge was suitably impressed:

Sheriff McFadyen said Rossi's claim that he had regained consciousness from a coma to find that he had been tattooed "was equally... if not more implausible and fanciful" than his assertion that his fingerprints were taken from him by an NHS worker on behalf of US prosecutors while he was in intensive care.
On Rossi's insistence that he was Arthur Knight and not the man wanted in the US, the sheriff added: "It seems to me highly suspicious that the change of names went through a number of permutations. That seems to me consistent with someone who was hiding from someone or something."

And the show must go on:

This case, which has been plagued with delays, is one of the most bizarre to be heard in a Scottish court.
Today's ruling brings to an end the relentless fight over the identity, removes any suggestion of the existence of alias "Arthur Knight" and paves the way for full extradition proceedings which are likely to get under way next year.
American officials want him extradited to stand trial.
A full hearing on Rossi's extradition to the US will take place in March in Scotland.

Yes, it's probably all been linked here, but your link, and the link therefrom, do add a nice summary of "where we're now up to"

Nick will, undoubtedly, view March as far enough away that a few more bizarre swerves are worth a try, so the entertainment value probably won't disappear immediately...

Nick's own chances of "disappearing" again do seem to have taken a serious hit, though.

[Vigilant]

Nick will never leave incarceration.

How long does Miranda stick with him?

[Giraffe Stapler]

Nick will never leave incarceration.

How long does Miranda stick with him?

I would say the better question is why does Miranda stick with him but that would just invite ableist comments.

[Giraffe Stapler]

With such timeless gems as:

During the course of his defence, the wanted man made a series of bizarre claims to explain away the biometric evidence put before the court.

He told the sheriff that he did not have any tattoos before his admission to hospital and that he "awoke" from a coma to find his body had been tattooed while he was unconscious.

In another strange twist, he alleged the fingerprints on the Interpol warrant only matched his own because they were taken by an NHS employee in Glasgow. He claimed a man known only as "Patrick" took the prints while he was sedated and then sent them to a corrupt official in Utah who in turn circulated them to Interpol.

Ah. This is possibly foreshadowing not only the actual extradition hearing but what happens in Utah. He seems to be sticking with his claim that he was set up by (Utah County Attorney) David Leavitt. If he continues to push that as a defense, any Utah trial will be a complete circus. No wonder he can't keep a lawyer.

[Vigilant]

Well, of course he did!

Rape suspect Nicholas Rossi had ‘creepy files on female students’

Sex offender Nicholas Rossi kept chilling lists of women he wanted to abuse

Lying sex offender Nicholas Rossi kept lists of hundreds of young women he wanted to single out for abuse in a hoard of sick documents hidden in a basement. The American fugitive compiled more than a dozen notebooks containing their personal details, a scoring system and the best time to target them.

His terrifying dossier of notepads was found by his first wife Kathryn Heckendorn during a violent seven-month marriage in 2015. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mail after Rossi’s identity was legally confirmed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, she revealed how her twisted husband would have been planning out his next victim while married to her.

Speaking from her home in Ohio, Kathryn, 33, said: “When he was out, I was down in the basement trying to clean up and I found he had a bunch of boxes. There was a ton of journals written by Nick and it looked like they had different entries from different universities around the States.

“I remember one from Idaho – it said the girl’s name, her class schedule, her likes and dislikes.

“It also said, ‘She has a boyfriend who doesn’t like me, don’t approach her when she’s with her boyfriend.’ It was very creepy.

“There were probably about 15 to 20, all full of women’s details. I only looked at about four of them – that was enough.

[Midsize Jake]

On the plus side (and at the risk of stating the obvious), it's much more convenient and helpful for prosecutors when sex offenders build extensive collections of self-incriminating documentation.

[The Garbage Scow]

On the plus side (and at the risk of stating the obvious), it's much more convenient and helpful for prosecutors when sex offenders build extensive collections of self-incriminating documentation.

All of his attempts to hide away have been undone by his narcissism and inability to keep his mouth shut.

[Hereandthere]

On the point of Miranda, I guess this means they are not legally married?
She will not be able to follow him to the USA.

[Vigilant]

On the point of Miranda, I guess this means they are not legally married?
She will not be able to follow him to the USA.

Why do you say that?
Because he used a false name?

[Giraffe Stapler]

On the point of Miranda, I guess this means they are not legally married?
She will not be able to follow him to the USA.

Why do you say that?
Because he used a false name?

I doubt that the use of a false name (or claiming to be born in Northern Ireland while actually being an American citizen probably living and working in Scotland illegally) will render the marriage void, but I don't pretend to be a lawyer. I can think of no reason why Miranda Knight couldn't follow him to the US if she felt like it, married or not.

[Anroth]

On the point of Miranda, I guess this means they are not legally married?
She will not be able to follow him to the USA.

Why do you say that?
Because he used a false name?

I doubt that the use of a false name (or claiming to be born in Northern Ireland while actually being an American citizen probably living and working in Scotland illegally) will render the marriage void, but I don't pretend to be a lawyer. I can think of no reason why Miranda Knight couldn't follow him to the US if she felt like it, married or not.

In English/Welsh law certainly it wouldn't be a reason to annul a marriage. Which broadly fall into two categories, the marriage was never legally valid (e.g. already married), or the marriage was legal but can be annulled for a fairly small list of reasons. Merely lying about who you are isn't one of them, although lying about some specific things are, so if she does want to annul it, a sympathetic judge might allow it, but unlikely.

The main reason is in the UK you can call yourself pretty much anything you want as long as you are not committing fraud. You are not required to legally change your name by deed poll except when you need to apply for some official documents. You could get married under an entirely different name as long as it was witnessed and the formalities observed.

[Beeblebrox]

(maybe don't read this if you don't want to know what serial killers do)


Ted Bundy famously got married during his own trial for his homicidal attack on a sorority house after having successfully escaped prison and fled across the country. After the sorority he grabbed up a little girl and killed her in a pigsty.

Ted was acting as his own attorney, and therefore got access to a law library,. He found that under Florida law at the time, if two people declared their desire to be married in open court, it was instantly done. He just went and did it because he could, knowing it would never be consummated, but he'd probably get years of letters out of it while he waited to die. She didn't know him in person, at all, but had been fangirling in court and somehow or other they planned this together. Again, while he was on trial for going on a psychotic rampage of sexual violence.

So, some things are just inexplicable.

And ...let's not....;let's not even talk about what is likely to constitute a legal marriage in Utah.

[No Ledge]

It's a lot easier to get married than it is to get divorced. I think the divorce-lawyer racket likes it that way because it keeps the advancement money flowing into their bank accounts.

[The Garbage Scow]

Going back a bit to the fake obituary and phone calls to politicians and journalists from "Louise". Presumably Miranda was the one posing as "Louise". She would be very foolish to come to the US with him as she could probably be charged with knowingly harboring a wanted felon, giving false information to the FBI, etc. Most likely they'd just deport her, but there's no such thing as a quick and simple trial especially when it involves Nick Rossi.

[The Garbage Scow]

Ted was acting as his own attorney, and therefore got access to a law library,. He found that under Florida law at the time, if two people declared their desire to be married in open court, it was instantly done. He just went and did it because he could, knowing it would never be consummated, but he'd probably get years of letters out of it while he waited to die. She didn't know him in person, at all, but had been fangirling in court and somehow or other they planned this together. Again, while he was on trial for going on a psychotic rampage of sexual violence.

So, some things are just inexplicable.

A woman also married "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez when he was on death row. She divorced him later and when he died of cancer he was engaged to a 23-year-old. I don't understand it either.

[Vigilant]

I wonder if all of his US marriages were properly dissolved prior to his 'death'.

Could be an interesting twist.

[Hereandthere]

I had no idea you could put a fictitious name, present fictitious documentation/ different country of birth and still be legally married. I thought it would be a sham marriage. Esp if Miranda deceived and he only married to hide/ remain in the country illegally.

[Vigilant]

I had no idea you could put a fictitious name, present fictitious documentation/ different country of birth and still be legally married. I thought it would be a sham marriage. Esp if Miranda deceived and he only married to hide/ remain in the country illegally.

I was thinking more along the lines of "Is Nick still married in the US?" ...

[Hereandthere]

Good point! Never thought of that.

[Beeblebrox]

Going back a bit to the fake obituary and phone calls to politicians and journalists from "Louise". Presumably Miranda was the one posing as "Louise". She would be very foolish to come to the US with him as she could probably be charged with knowingly harboring a wanted felon, giving false information to the FBI, etc. Most likely they'd just deport her, but there's no such thing as a quick and simple trial especially when it involves Nick Rossi.

I don't know about the phone calls, but I assumed the emails the committee was getting were from Alahverdian himself. They were oozing with self-importance.

[The Garbage Scow]

Going back a bit to the fake obituary and phone calls to politicians and journalists from "Louise". Presumably Miranda was the one posing as "Louise". She would be very foolish to come to the US with him as she could probably be charged with knowingly harboring a wanted felon, giving false information to the FBI, etc. Most likely they'd just deport her, but there's no such thing as a quick and simple trial especially when it involves Nick Rossi.

I don't know about the phone calls, but I assumed the emails the committee was getting were from Alahverdian himself. They were oozing with self-importance.

Oh for sure, the emails were Nick. As for the phone conversations, they were either Miranda or Nick is really good at imitating a woman's voice.

[Midsize Jake]

Oh for sure, the emails were Nick. As for the phone conversations, they were either Miranda or Nick is really good at imitating a woman's voice.

At the time, we assumed he was using one of those voice-altering apps that you can download for smartphones. There were quite a few of them out there even then, and of course they're even more common now. Personally I doubt he would have trusted Miranda to be loud and aggressive (or maybe just self-pitying) enough on most of the phone calls he was making, but she probably would have been more convincing.