A fugitive who faked his own death to escape sex and fraud charges in the US – only to be nabbed after catching COVID and nearly dying in a Scottish hospital – was being sought by police again Thursday after skipping a court hearing.
Scottish officials confirmed to DailyMail.com yesterday that Nicholas Alahverdian, 34, failed to appear for an extradition hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court on Thursday and that a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He was later nabbed at a Scotland residence, the Utah County District Attorney’s office said in a release. It’s unclear whether Scottish police searched his house before declaring him a fugitive.
It is not known why he was freed on bail following a hearing held via videolink from Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 23 last year. A spokesman for Edinburgh Sheriff’s Office refused to comment when asked for details of why Alahverdian had been freed, given his status as a known fraudster.
It is also unclear when Alahverdian, who also goes by the surname Rossi, was discharged from Queen Elizabeth Hospital after recovering from COVID. DailyMail.com has contacted the facility for further information.
Alahverdian was arrested on an Interpol notice at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on December 13. He had checked in under the alias Arthur Knight, and was intubated after nearly dying of the virus.
Suspected conman Nicholas Alahverdian – who faked his own death to avoid sex and fraud charges in…
