From my mailbox:
If you haven’t been tracking the story of Nicholas Rossi you are missing out on one of the all-time greatest weirdos to ever wiggle his way into the headlines. You’ll forget George Santos ever existed after hearing about this guy (unless it turns out this guy actually is George Santos, which is always a possibility).
Nicholas Rossi was born in Rhode Island with the name Nicholas Alahverdian. As a kid his violent and aggressive behavior landed him in and out of psychiatric hospitals, eventually landing him in the Rhode Island foster care system. There he bounced around from home to home, causing chaos everywhere he went, breaking families down until they could take no more and passed him on to the next one.
By his teenage years Nicholas Alaverdian had such an extensive rap sheet he had to change his name to Nicholas Rossi, which allowed him to become a page at the Rhode Island state senate. This is also where he learned to suppress his violent instincts in favor of con-artistry. As an orphan, Nicholas won the hearts of many of the state senators and became a sort of mascot at the state capitol. He was free to roam the halls of the building, and even would sometimes speak in front of the senate as an advocate for foster care reform. One state senator was so moved by Rossi and his story he started the process of formally adopting him. Shortly after though, a family court judge contacted the senator privately and convinced him to stop, saying Rossi would “destroy your family from inside”.
Rossi learned to live off gullible people moved by his story. Multiple Rhode Island state senators reported giving him money on various occasions. He founded fake charities raising money for orphans, which he then pocketed. By 2020, he had been married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce after less then a year. Both women accused Rossi of physical and sexual abuse, theft, and stalking. Senators at the Rhode Island capitol were being contacted by the FBI, asking them if they knew Rossi or his whereabouts. The walls were closing in. Or so it seemed!
In February 2020, Rossi announced he was dying of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Word spread fast as Rossi maneuvered to have the story published in the local media. Shortly after, it was reported that Nicholas Rossi had died from his brief illness. He was honored on the floor of the state senate with a short tribute followed by a moment of silence!
Shortly after though, questions started arising surrounding Rossi’s death. His biological mother, who had been reading all the eulogies and tributes being printed, noticed the comments always seemed to contain praiseworthy comments which she recognized as being in her son’s style of writing. Editors at Wikipedia began reporting that, after his death, articles about Rossi were being edited by accounts known to have been created by Rossi. A priest who had been arranging a funeral mass for Rossi was contacted by police and told to cancel the ceremony, as they suspected he was still alive.
Which brings us to the present day where, three thousand miles away in Scotland, a man going by the name Arthur Knight was recently extradited to the US under suspicion of being Nicholas Rossi. He is charged with multiple felonies ranging from rape to assault to fraud. Unlike Rossi, the man known as Arthur Knight is in a wheelchair, preventing anyone from getting too close to him. He wears an oxygen mask continuously, which not only conveniently covers his face but also muffles a British accent that he must have learned by watching Keanu Reeves in Dracula. Both tattoos and fingerprints on Knight match those of Nicholas Rossi, though some of the tattoos have been replaced with scarring suggesting someone tried to remove them. Arthur Knight denies being associated in any way with Nicholas Rossi, saying he grew up in Ireland before moving to Scotland.
Here’s an interview where Knight continues to deny any relation to Nicholas Rossi alongside his new Scottish wife who, I can only assume, is getting paid by the hour.
Update:
Rossi causes confusion in first Utah court appearance since extradition.
