Nick Alahverdian, former RI con man who faked his death, found guilty of Utah rape

A Utah jury has found Rhode Island conman Nicholas Alahverdian, also known as Nicholas Rossi, guilty of first-degree felony rape.

Alahverdian, 38, faced charges of raping a 26-year-old Salt Lake County woman in 2008. He was charged under the name Nicholas Rossi.

“We are grateful to the survivor in this case for her willingness to come forward, years after this attack took place," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement. "We appreciate her patience as we worked to bring the defendant back to Salt Lake County so that this trial could take place and she could get justice. It took courage and bravery to take the stand and confront her attacker to hold him accountable."

Alahverdian faked his own death in 2020 while the FBI was investigating unrelated allegations of credit card fraud, and he was later found in Scotland. He spent years fighting extradition while pretending to be a fictional Irish orphan named "Arthur Knight."

Sentencing scheduled for October; other charges remain pending

Alahverdian's conviction stems from charges that he raped his then-girlfriend, a woman whom he had met online. According to prosecutors, Alahverdian told the woman they should get married shortly after they began dating, and they purchased wedding rings.

However, Alahverdian soon became verbally and emotionally abusive, prosecutors say. An argument at Salt Lake City's Gateway Mall turned violent, and when the couple returned to Alahverdian's apartment, he refused to let the woman leave and raped her.

A jury in Utah's Third District Court reached a guilty verdict on Aug. 13.

The charge is punishable by five years to life in the Utah State Correctional Facility, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. Alahverdian is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20.

What's next?

Alahverdian also faces additional rape charges in Utah County from another case in 2008 that involves a different woman. He has yet to face trial on those charges.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Nicholas Rossi, con man who faked his own death, found guilty of Utah rape