A man who faked his own death and fled the United States to evade justice has been sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison for rape. Nicholas Rossi, 38, was convicted in August of raping a woman in Utah in 2008. The sentence, handed down on Monday by District Judge Barry Lawrence, is for no less than five years and up to life, with the actual release date to be determined by Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole.
Rossi, who also goes by Nicholas Alahverdian, was identified as a suspect in 2018 through a DNA rape kit. After being charged, an online obituary in 2020 claimed he had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, doubts were raised by police, his former lawyer, and a former foster family. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 while being treated for Covid-19, after hospital staff recognised his distinctive tattoos from an Interpol notice. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024.
During the trial, the victim testified that she met Rossi through a personal ad on Craigslist in 2008 while recovering from a traumatic brain injury. They became engaged within weeks, but Rossi grew hostile and raped her after she drove him home. She went to police years later after learning of another rape accusation against him. The victim told the court that Rossi left a 'trail of fear, pain and destruction' and called for 'safety and accountability'. Prosecutor Brandon Simmons argued that Rossi 'uses rape to control women'.
Rossi, who did not testify at trial, maintained his innocence before sentencing, saying, 'I am not guilty of this. These women are lying.' He faces a second sentencing on 4 November for another rape conviction in September, also from 2008. Investigators say he used at least a dozen aliases over the years. He is also wanted in Rhode Island for failing to register as a sex offender and faces fraud charges in Ohio.
