Man charged with rapes in Utah says he changed his names due to threats

Associated Press

A man charged with two rapes in Utah who lived under a series of names in the United Kingdom and allegedly faked his own death says he changed his names because of threats made against his life. During a court hearing Wednesday, Nicholas Rossi testified that, after moving to Europe in 2017, he learned in 2020 through contacts he made while working in politics in Rhode Island that there were credible threats against his life. His comments came as his lawyers unsuccessfully tried to convince a judge that Rossi’s bail should be lowered so he could be released from jail while he is prosecuted in the rape of a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah in 2008. He pleaded not guilty during the hearing.