A U.S.-based Nigerian home care company executive has been taken into police custody after federal investigators accused him of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme targeting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the federal institution responsible for providing medical support and benefits to America’s retired military personnel.
Federal prosecutors detailed the allegations in a criminal complaint describing how the suspect, identified as Cashmir Chinedu Luke, allegedly exploited the Veterans Community Care Program by submitting thousands of claims for services that were never provided to vulnerable elderly beneficiaries.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the scheme spanned several years and involved extensive deceptive billing practices, including charging for nonexistent care, inflating service hours, and filing claims for veterans long after they had died, according to officials familiar with the investigation.
According to the complaint, Luke was arrested at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria—a dramatic turn in a case that federal authorities say began in December 2019 and continued until July 2024.
Prosecutors allege that Luke, believed to be 66 and residing in Antioch, California, operated Four Corners Health LLC, a Fresno-based home health company that claimed to offer unskilled in-home care across Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, San Francisco, and Contra Costa counties, while submitting more than 10,000 false claims during the period under investigation.
The complaint states that the VA reimbursed Four Corners approximately $7 million for duplicate charges, inflated hours, fabricated visits, and even care purportedly provided to veterans who were already deceased. Officials described the conduct as a “five-year scheme” built on deliberate deception.
“He is charged in a criminal complaint alleging that he fraudulently obtained more than $7 million in payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs for services that were never actually rendered,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a statement.
Investigators further allege that Luke routinely withdrew or rerouted funds after each reimbursement, moving money across personal accounts in Asia and Africa while obstructing the VA’s third-party administrator as it attempted to recover improperly paid claims.
According to the Justice Department, the investigation is being led by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin Lee is prosecuting the case. Officials emphasized that all allegations remain unproven and that the defendant is presumed innocent until a court determines otherwise.
If convicted, prosecutors said Luke faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, noting that sentencing outcomes will depend on statutory factors and federal guidelines considered by the court.
