The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has issued a letter to the owner of the California Palms addiction and recovery center telling them their license to operate an addiction facility will be revoked as of October 28. 

In a statement, OHMAS said the revocation is unrelated to a search of the facility conducted by federal agents on October 5. 

The state of Ohio began pursuing a license revocation in June  of 2020 after they say California Palms "failed to follow through with a plan of correction to remediate repeated rules violations." 

According to a statement from OHMAS, those violations include improper record keeping, improper staffing and "quality of care concerns." 

An administrative hearing was held in April 2021 and a final order was issued on September 28. 

At that time, a letter was sent to Sebastian Rucci, the owner of the facility, saying the license would be revoked effective October 28. 

The order is not final, however, and Rucci can appeal it, which he says he plans to do. 

Rucci tells 21 News that California Palms has made changes and that the state has refused to review them. 

"The information in this adjudication order is issues that occurred two years ago, one month after we commenced with Medicaid. Similarly, we have never had a single billing audit by Medicaid since opening. It is difficult to discern why these agencies simply do not come out and check on what we are doing," Rucci said. 

Rucci said the facility remains open and is "continuing to provide great care," saying that OHMAS is "simply wrong" in saying that the facility is temporarily closed due to this week's federal search. 

The search warrant from that matter remains sealed and at this time, nothing has been filed in federal court against Rucci or the facility.