PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Rhode Island man who authorities say faked a cancer diagnosis and his own death, then was later captured in Scotland, can be extradited to the United States to face rape charges.

Nicholas Alahverdian, 36, who also goes by the name of Nicholas Rossi, has vehemently claimed to be Arthur Knight of Ireland ever since his capture in a U.K. hospital in 2021 after he contracted COVID-19.

But tattoos and fingerprints showed otherwise, and in August, a Scottish judge ultimately determined his true identity was Alahverdian, a Providence native wanted on multiple charges across the country, including for a rape in 2008 in Utah.

Last week, Scotland’s justice secretary Angela Constance signed an extradition order to send the fugitive back to the United States. The order was confirmed through a public-records request by the BBC.

The order does not guarantee a plane trip by the U.S. Marshals Service back home, however. Alahverdian, who has fought his extradition since his arrest, has two weeks to appeal the order.

Additionally, authorities in England are investigating allegations that he raped a woman there in 2017.

If he is returned, it is likely he would be brought to Utah, which is first in a line of jurisdictions that brought criminal charges against Rossi. An email to a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office in Utah was not immediately returned.

Alahverdian was convicted of sexual assault in Ohio and is accused of raping a woman in Utah in 2008. DNA from the latter case was matched to Alahverdian in 2017. He is also wanted by the FBI for allegedly racking up $200,000 in debt by fraudulently taking out credit cards in the name of his then-foster father.

Traditionally, local law enforcement seeking a fugitive from another country will work with the U.S. Marshals service for their return. The foreign government would coordinate with the U.S. Department of State, which would then contact the marshals service for the fugitive’s transportation back to the state where the person is wanted.