A conservative American outlet has named members of Ohio’s Bhutanese-Nepali and Somali communities as key players in an alleged billion-dollar Medicaid fraud scheme. The investigation, led by Daily Wire reporter Luke Rosiak, centres on two schemes: hundreds of shell home-health companies sharing addresses in largely vacant Ohio office buildings, and families allegedly collecting payments for care never provided to relatives.
The combined fraud estimate cited in Congress stands at $1.2 billion, though that figure has not been independently verified. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has introduced emergency rules and investigations, signalling the underlying problem is real.
The story gained fresh momentum after a House task force held its first hearing on the matter on June 3, with Rosiak testifying before lawmakers. Republican leaders, including Vice President JD Vance, have called for a federal investigation, while Democratic representatives have pushed back on the framing, arguing it unfairly targets entire refugee communities.
At the centre of media attention is Roshan Adhikari, 29, a Bhutanese-origin COO of a Cleveland home health company, whose lavish social media posts with private jets and luxury cars have become a lightning rod in the controversy. Adhikari also has notable ties to Nepal’s music and film industry.
Community advocates warn that the “ethnic scam” framing risks serious harm to the broader Bhutanese-Nepali diaspora, the vast majority of whom arrived as refugees and have no connection to any alleged wrongdoing. Prosecutors have yet to bring formal charges.