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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was extradited from Scotland to face rape charges in Utah called the allegations against him "complete hearsay" during his initial appearance in a Utah court Tuesday.
Nicholas Rossi, 36, denied that Rossi is his name and said his name is Arthur Knight Brown. He also claimed his birthday is Nov. 22, 1986, while the birthdate associated with the charges is July 11, 1987.
He asked why he was extradited and mentioned his intent to appeal to the Supreme Court. Rossi said he has an attorney, but was not given notice of Tuesday's hearing.
He was breathing through medical equipment and at times was difficult to understand.
Deputy Salt Lake County attorney Tamara Basuez said Rossi has not admitted his name or birthdate since he has been extradited.
After being extradited to Utah earlier this month, Rossi appeared Tuesday for the initial appearance on his 3rd District Court charge of rape, a first-degree felony. He is also charged with rape, a first-degree felony, in Utah County where he is scheduled for an initial appearance on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
The judge said a lawyer would be appointed for Rossi, although he said he already has an attorney.
Prosecutors asked to ensure that Rossi is fingerprinted by the jail.
Rossi will have a detention hearing on Jan. 26 with Judge Barry Lawrence.
Rossi is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in Orem in 2008. At the time the woman only knew Rossi by an alias, according to the Utah County Attorney's Office. Rossi is accused of using at least eight different aliases over the years.
Rossi was identified as a suspect in the Utah County 2018, after the Utah State Crime Lab identified him through a DNA rape kit, and he was charged in 2020.
After was charged, authorities learned of similar behavior from the same man in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and that the man had fled from the U.S. to avoid prosecution. In 2022, a man named Arthur Knight was arrested at a hospital in Glasgow.
The man claimed he is an Irish orphan, but United Kingdom courts ruled that his case is not a case of mistaken identity and DNA and tattoos identify the man as Rossi.
The Salt Lake County charges were filed in 2022 after a woman came forward after Rossi's attempts to fight extradition made headlines. The judge ordered Rossi not to have any contact with the woman.
