Behind the Story

Nicholas Alahverdian, who grew up in Rhode Island, famously faked his own death in 2020 before going on the run while wanted for rape in Utah. Authorities eventually tracked him down at a hospital in Scotland, where he had been living under the alias Arthur Knight.

“It wasn’t the law that caught him — it was COVID,” White said. “Arthur Knight is also the name of a DJ from Rhode Island from when Nicholas Alahverdian was growing up. He was Sir Arthur Knight, who was on the radio, and you have to wonder if that’s where he stole the name from.”

Before becoming known internationally, Alahverdian had already become well known among Rhode Island politicians and journalists, largely for his advocacy on behalf of children living in the state’s child welfare system.

Buteau, a former Target 12 investigator, covered Alahverdian throughout that period — all the way up until he received a phone call from someone claiming to be Alahverdian’s wife, telling him he had died.

Buteau said Alahverdian frequently called him and other reporters with story ideas and pitches, though he often struggled to get to the point.

“You ever meet a guy that inserts a lot of big words, and they don’t really pronounce them well? Well, that was Nicholas,” Buteau said.

Buteau also tracked Alahverdian’s trail of cons and criminal offenses across the country leading up to his disappearance. He said whatever positive work Alahverdian may have done in Rhode Island was ultimately overshadowed by the damage he caused over the years.

Alahverdian was serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape in Utah. He was extradited there after unsuccessfully trying to convince authorities overseas they had the wrong man.

Buteau said he knew it was Alahverdian the moment he saw a photo from Scotland, describing him as someone who could be both convincing and ruthless toward people he believed had crossed him.

“I talked to several people, and none of them wanted to go on the record because they feared him,” Buteau said. “But they all also brought up that he was charismatic. I never found him to be charismatic, but I think he was a good talker, and with a little information, he could make you believe a lot.”

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman, Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

The South County Star focuses on covering communities throughout southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. Nancy Burns-Fusaro, sometimes referred to as the “dean” of the Westerly shoreline, will focus much of her reporting on the arts and lifestyle, which she said are flourishing in South County.

“I’m writing about my wonderful community and wonderful people and, as you can imagine, the diversity in Westerly is just terrific,” Burns-Fusaro said.

Alex Nunes, the nonprofit’s founder and publisher, has covered different parts of the state over the years. He said the idea behind the Star is to expand coverage in a part of the state that receives less attention than the Providence metro area.

“If something happens in Providence, or happens at the State House, there’s a lot of people there to cover it, and people do a really good job,” he said. “But if something happens down in Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton, you really have to have dedicated people who are going to be looking to do those stories — and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including (not all mentioned on air):

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman, Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Tim White and Ted Nesi, Target 12 investigators and hosts of the political show “Newsmakers,” broke down recent endorsements in the race for Rhode Island governor, including one from Cumberland Democrats who snubbed incumbent Gov. Dan McKee, the town’s former mayor.

White also took viewers behind the scenes of the sentencing of Frank Theis, who was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenagers in the 1980s. Forensic evidence tested decades later helped investigators crack the case.

Later the show, White, Nesi and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan are joined by Ted Nesi for a look at how reporters tackle campaign coverage.

Bekah Berger joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Steph Machado joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Steph Machado broke the news that the school district, for an unknown number of years, had been letting students leave school five minutes early. The practice has now come back to haunt the district, with the state’s education department requiring Pawtucket to make up the lost instructional time.

The lost time comes on top of four snow days and delayed starts during the winter, which the Rhode Island Department of Education is also requiring the district to make up. Machado said it all adds up to five or six days, meaning the school year will extend into late June.

“I heard from a lot of parents that this was the first time they were hearing about this,” Machado said of the reaction to her story. “It’s really short notice to find out that you have almost an extra week of school.”

Machado also discussed her coverage of an ongoing federal fight over access to records involving transgender children and teenagers. The court battle stems from the U.S. Department of Justice asking a Texas judge to order the release of medical records for underage patients who received gender-affirming care at Rhode Island Hospital.

Machado said Rhode Island Hospital has agreed to provide some anonymized records, but the legal battle is far from over, with dueling appeals underway in Rhode Island and Texas.

“I don’t know if this will end up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly seems like something that could, based on how many different jurisdictions are now involved,” Machado said.

Later in the show, 12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi joined the program to discuss the latest political poll released by Emerson College Polling and 12 News.

Nesi discussed the poll’s 20-point lead for challenger Helena Foulkes over incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary, along with the wide-open race for attorney general.

Nesi also highlighted polling that showed Rhode Islanders across voter groups have little confidence in the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s ability to maintain the state’s roads and bridges.

“Seventy-seven percent of Rhode Island voters say they are not confident in RIDOT to properly manage the state’s roads and bridges,” Nesi said. “Hard not to connect that back to the governor’s struggles in the wake of the Washington Bridge and his decision to stand by RIDOT leadership, notably Peter Alviti, rather than make a change.”

The poll results were discussed in place of the “stories we wish we wrote.”

Ben Berke, who covers Providence, took a deep dive into the campaign finance reports of Councilor Ana Vargas, revealing the politician received an influx of donations in the months leading up to the vote. The majority of the donations came from landlords and others in the real estate industry.

“The timing is incredibly striking and she’s refused to explain her position,” Berke said, noting in his reporting that Vargas was the only councilor who did not speak about why she voted against the rent-control ordinance. “I think that’s something people would want to know as they go into the voting booth.”

While Vargas campaigned in support of rent control, she ultimately voted against the City Council leadership’s rent-control ordinance. Her opposition is one vote standing in the way of the council securing the 10 votes needed to override a veto issued by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. The mayor rejected the measure, saying it would stunt housing development and hurt the city financially.

“She’s not raising a lot of money in these campaigns, even when she’s running for office — she’s not having big fundraisers,” Berke said of Vargas’ campaign account. “And it’s only when this rent-control vote comes up in the beginning of 2026 that she really starts to see big donations coming in.”

The council has scheduled an override vote for Friday evening.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

Ed Fitzpatrick, who covers government and politics, has been closely watching the General Assembly as House Speaker Joe Shekarchi faces a Thursday deadline to decide whether to apply for a seat on the R.I. Supreme Court.

If Shekarchi takes the plunge and steps down as the most powerful Democrat in the House, the move could trigger a cascade of changes to leadership.

“This is a big deal because the speaker of the House, especially in Rhode Island, is the most powerful politician in the state,” Fitzpatrick said. “They have arguably more power than the governor. And you rarely ever see that gavel change hands in the middle of a session.”

Fitzpatrick also discussed his recent reporting on the U.S. attorney’s office in Rhode Island, where the Trump administration is keeping Charles “Chas” Calenda in charge after his 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney expired.

Because Calenda can no longer serve in that role under federal advise-and-consent rules, the administration has taken the unusual step of naming him “special attorney” and first assistant U.S. attorney.

Meanwhile, it has left the state’s top federal prosecutor position vacant, meaning Calenda remains in the top position without needing Senate confirmation. The courts have likewise declined to try appointing a name from a list of applicants.

“It became clear pretty quickly that [the court] chose not to because they knew that, as in other states, the Trump administration probably would have fired that person,” Fitzpatrick said. “Colenda, in the first U.S. attorney’s position, is effectively in charge of the District of Rhode Island without being named U.S. attorney.”

Later in the show, Tim White — who filled in as cohost — and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

Ian Donnis, a longtime political reporter, has been covering the recent failure of a highway ramp in Cranston that disrupted travel for motorists and Amtrak passengers.

Last Friday, part of a bridge in poor condition fell onto a railroad track, surprising transportation officials who said there had been no prior signs of trouble.

The infrastructure issue comes amid ongoing criticism of the Washington Bridge closure. The westbound span failed in December 2023 and has remained closed to traffic.

The Cranston bridge failure comes about 10 years after the state unveiled RhodeWorks, an expensive and controversial infrastructure program designed to upgrade roads and bridges statewide.

The law also created the state’s truck toll program, which was tied up in court for years after being challenged by a truckers association.

The state ultimately won that legal fight, but resuming toll collection has been delayed, in part because the infrastructure used to collect tolls has become outdated.

Donnis examined the program’s balance sheet and found it is currently underwater after a decade in operation.

Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including: