Attorney General James Announces Sentencing of Former Nursing Home Employee for Raping a Resident

 

Former Shore Winds Nursing Home Employee Khadka Pradhan Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the sentencing of Khadka Pradhan, 52, of Rochester, for raping and sexually assaulting an 81-year-old nursing home resident suffering from dementia at the Shore Winds Nursing Home in Rochester in September 2021, where he formerly worked as a housekeeper. This morning in Monroe County Court, Judge Caroline E. Morrison sentenced Pradhan to 25 years in prison on those charges, to be served concurrently, and 20 years of post-release supervision. In November 2022, a jury convicted Pradhan of Rape in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree, and other lower-level offenses.

“When a New Yorker enters a nursing home, they and their families expect that they will be treated with care and respect,” said Attorney General James. “Khadka Pradhan committed hideous, shocking crimes, violating an elderly nursing home resident who trusted she would be safe at Shore Winds Nursing Home. No time served can ease the pain forced upon one of our most vulnerable, but make no mistake, my office will always go after violent criminals and ensure they are held accountable for threatening New Yorkers’ safety.”

Attorney General James would like to thank the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, and the Monroe County Crime Laboratory for their valuable assistance in this investigation, and the New York State Department of Health for promptly referring this matter to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

This matter was investigated by OAG's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). MFCU Detective Stacey DiSanto investigated the matter under the supervision of Deputy Chief, Commanding Officer William Falk. 

The case was presented to the jury by Special Assistant Attorney General William T. Gargan, MFCU Rochester Regional Office Director, under the supervision of MFCU Chief of Criminal Investigations Thomas O’Hanlon. Senior Auditor-Investigator Kaitlynn Arias and MFCU Electronic Investigative Support Systems Analyst Randall Kent provided support to the trial team. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney. MFCU is a part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online on the OAG website or by calling the MFCU hotline at (800) 771-7755. If the situation is an emergency, they should call 911.

MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2023 is $65,717,936. Of that total, 75 percent, or $49,288,452, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $16,429,484 for FY 2023, is funded by New York state. Through MFCU’s recoveries in law enforcement actions, it regularly returns more to the state than it receives in state funding.