Attorney General James Announces Indictment of Former Rochester Nursing Home Employee for Allegedly Raping Nursing Home Resident Suffering from Dementia

Khadka Pradhan Charged With Allegedly Raping 81-Year-Old Resident
While He Worked In Nursing Home as Housekeeper

ROCHESTER – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the indictment of Khadka Pradhan, 51, of Rochester, for allegedly raping an 81-year-old resident of the Shore Winds Nursing Home in Rochester in September 2021. At the time of the alleged crime, Pradhan was working as a housekeeper at the facility. The indictment charges Pradhan with Rape in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, and three other related crimes. If convicted, Pradhan faces up to 25 years in state prison.

“The charges outlined in this case are as heinous and disturbing as they come,” said Attorney General James. “Mr. Pradhan allegedly raped an elderly woman with dementia at the nursing home where she lived — grossly violating her, other residents, and her family, who trusted that she would be safe and cared for. The idea that one of our most vulnerable could be so severely abused and taken advantage of is a real shock to the conscience. But make no mistake: We will go after anyone who commits such horrific crimes and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

As outlined in the indictment, Pradhan allegedly, through the use of forcible compulsion, sexually assaulted the elderly and mentally disabled victim in her room at the Shore Winds facility on September 29, 2021, at approximately 6:30 AM. Pradhan is being charged with Rape in the First Degree, Rape in the Second Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the Second Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree. 

The indictment follows charges filed by the Rochester Police Department, in which the defendant was initially charged in a felony complaint filed on September 29, 2021. The defendant was arraigned on the felony complaint in Rochester City Court on September 30, 2021, and pled not guilty. His bail was set at $10,000 cash, $50,000 secured bond, and $100,000 unsecured bond which he posted that same day.

Following further investigation, a Monroe County Grand Jury handed up the indictment charging the defendant with the elevated charges of Rape in the First Degree, Rape in the Second Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the Second Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree. The indictment will be calendared in a Monroe County Superior Court for arraignment on a date that will be set by the court.

The charges against the defendant are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty in a court of law.

Attorney General James would like to thank the Rochester Police Department and the Monroe County Crime Laboratory for their valuable assistance in this investigation, as well as the New York state Department of Health for the prompt referral of this incident.

The matter was investigated by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). MFCU Detectives Stacey DiSanto and Stephen Sachman, Detective Trainee Alex Mintonye, and former Detective Kevin Wehbring investigated the matter under the supervision of Deputy Chief Investigator William Falk. Medical Analyst Jennifer Cronkhite, R.N., assisted in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by MFCU’s Rochester Regional Office Director William T. Gargan, with the assistance of Chief of Downstate Criminal Investigations Thom O’Hanlon. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit 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) 2022 is $59,918,216. Of that total, 75 percent — or $44,938,664 — is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent of the approved grant — totaling $14,979,552 for FY 2022 — is funded by New York state. Through its recoveries in law enforcement actions, MFCU regularly returns more to the state than it receives in state funding.