State police confirm RI man found in Scotland after presumed dead

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE)- Nicholas Alahverdian, a DCYF reform advocate known in the Rhode Island political scene was believed to have died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma according to his obituary from 2020. Utah investigators say he faked his death after they found him in Scotland.

Alahverdian, was a suspect in a 2008 sexual assault that was later dropped before the case reached the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

A 2017 initiative to retest DNA in sexual assault kits showed Alahverdian’s DNA present in other assaults across the country.

In an attempt to avoid prosecution, Alahverdian led investigators to believe he had died in 2020 and fled the country.

Multiple state agencies, the FBI, state bureau of investigations, and the Utah County Attorney’s office worked together to discover Alahverdian was living under a number of aliases in Scotland.

Rhode Island State Police also confirmed with ABC6 News that Alahverdian had been located in Scotland.

According to The Scottish Sun, a man under the name Arthur Knight was being treated for COVID-19 at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow’s. Medical personnel worked on the patient when it became known to police that he was wanted in Utah through an interpol notice. He was arrested by Scotland police and faced extradition proceedings set up through video in his hospital room.

Alahverdian was apprehended, and at this time is awaiting extradition back to Utah.

“Our office is grateful for the significant interagency collaboration of law enforcement to bring this suspect to justice. We credit Utah’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant funded through the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Assistance as playing a significant role in testing backlogged kits and ultimately identifying the suspect,” said Utah County Attorney, David Leavitt.