Cashmir Chinedu Luke, a Nigerian business executive of a U.S. home health care company, has been arrested by federal authorities for allegedly defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of more than $7 million.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Luke was taken into custody on Wednesday at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria.
Federal prosecutors allege that between December 2019 and July 2024, Luke, believed to be 66, operated Four Corners Health LLC, a Fresno-based company that provided non-skilled in-home care services to elderly veterans under the Veterans Community Care Program.
Investigators say Luke orchestrated a “five-year billing scheme,” submitting more than 10,000 fraudulent claims for care that was never provided.
The false claims allegedly included:
Charges for hours that caretakers did not work
Claims for days when caretakers were not present
Duplicate billing for services
Claims submitted weeks after some veterans had died
Four Corners operated in multiple counties, including Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, San Francisco, and Contra Costa.
The DOJ further alleges that Luke—who served as the sole owner and billing representative of the company—actively deceived the VA’s third-party administrator as it attempted to recover some of the fraudulent payments. He is accused of immediately spending or transferring the proceeds across a network of bank accounts in Asia and Africa.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin Lee.
If convicted, Luke faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors noted that the charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.