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SALT LAKE CITY — Nicholas Edward Rossi, who is already wanted in Utah County on a charge of rape and has been making headlines in the United Kingdom for his efforts in court to avoid extradition, is now charged in connection with a second sexual assault in Salt Lake County.
Rossi, 35, who is also known as Arthur Knight and other aliases, was charged Wednesday in Utah's 3rd District Court with rape, a first-degree felony.
Prosecutors say Rossi met a 26-year-old woman in Salt Lake County in 2008. While Rossi initially seemed "nice," the woman said he was also "manipulative," did not have a job and "convinced her to loan him money that he did not repay," according to charging documents. The woman also said Rossi was "emotionally and verbally abusive."
The two were eventually engaged and got wedding rings, but following an argument at the Gateway Mall, the woman took off her ring, walked to her car and locked the doors, according to the charges. Rossi convinced her to let him in and she drove him to his house in South Salt Lake.
There, Rossi convinced the woman to come in as they continued to argue about breaking up. While inside the house, Rossi threw the woman onto a bed and raped her, the charges allege.
Rossi is already charged in 4th District Court with raping a 21-year-old woman in Orem in 2008. Investigators say Rossi is wanted in several states and have accused him of even faking his own death to avoid prosecution, but say he was found living under an assumed name in Scotland.
Rossi, however, insists that he is really Knight and that he has never been to Utah. He has been critical of Utah County Attorney David Leavitt on social media. Leavitt held a press conference in June, questioning whether information about an investigation was leaked to Rossi by the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Earlier this month, a U.K. sheriff revoked Rossi's parole and ordered him to be placed back in custody as he awaited extradition.
