Roshan Adhikari, the chief operating officer (COO) of Cleveland-based Medicaid-paid company Centerlight Home Care, has denied allegations of widespread fraud and denied any involvement in any illegal activity, according to a report published by the right-wing American media outlet, the Daily Wire. In a public statement on Facebook on Friday afternoon, the official called the allegations "false, misleading and harmful" and said they were an attempt to damage his and his organization's reputation. "I want to state clearly that neither I, my family, nor Centerlight Home Care are involved in any wrongdoing. The allegations and their implications are false, misleading and have seriously damaged our reputation, business and the communities we serve," the official said. In a June 2 story, Daily Wire journalist Luke Rosiak analyzed publicly available Medicaid payment data and reported on two different fraud schemes in Ohio. Rosiak said 288 home health companies in Columbus were registered at the same address. He said many of the companies were concentrated in seven mostly vacant office buildings along State Route 161. He said he visited the buildings and found empty offices, months-old mail piled up, no employees, and signs saying "We're going to lunch." According to the report, the companies claimed more than $250 million in Medicaid from the U.S. government between 2018 and 2024. Rosiak said many of the companies were founded and operated by immigrants, including members of the Bhutanese-Nepalese community. The official, who is originally from Bhutan, claims that Centerlight Home Care has always followed all rules and standards and that the organization's goal is to improve the quality of life of its recipients. The Daily Wire report used photos of the official with a private jet and personal vehicle. It also indicated that the organization primarily provides services to the Bhutanese refugee community. In the report, Roziak claims that families, especially from the Bhutanese and Somali communities, have registered as paid home health care providers under Medicaid for relatives who do not actually need care, and have taken government funds without providing services, and in some cases have even bribed health workers who approved the necessary documents. The report states that the US Congress is currently being presented with figures of potential fraud worth $ 1.2 billion in Ohio alone.

Adhikari denied the allegations, claiming that the Bhutanese community is a small part of the organization's service recipients and that services are provided based on need, not ethnicity or nationality. 'The news is trying to portray me as the central character in a story that does not accurately reflect the reality of our organization. The appearance of a private jet, personal vehicles or social media posts in the photo is not evidence of fraud, misconduct or any illegal activity,' Adhikari said. He also said that such news can have a wider impact, reinforcing harmful prejudice against the Bhutanese community and undermining trust in home care service providers.

'False and misleading news does not just affect one person. It affects our employees, service recipients, families and the community that depends on organizations like us every day,' he said. He also said legal options are being reviewed to protect the organization's reputation and hold accountable those who publish what he calls defamatory material.