A California home healthcare executive was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Nigeria, federal officials say.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint alleging that the CEO, Cashmir Chinedu Luke, fraudulently obtained more than $7 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs by submitting thousands of false billing claims for services that were never provided.
According to court documents, Luke operated Four Corners Health LLC, a home health care provider serving veterans across several California counties, including Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, San Francisco and Contra Costa.
Investigators say that between December 2019 and July 2024, Luke submitted about 10,000 fraudulent claims to the VA’s Veterans Community Care Program. These included bills for care that:
- was never actually provided,
- reported hours caregivers did not work,
- duplicated previously submitted claims,
- and listed services allegedly given to veterans weeks after they had died.
Federal prosecutors allege that Luke continued submitting the false claims even as a third-party administrator working with the VA tried to recover improper payments.
As the company’s sole owner and billing representative, he is accused of diverting reimbursements into personal accounts and transferring funds through bank accounts across Asia and Africa shortly after receiving them.
Luke now faces multiple federal charges related to health care fraud. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $250,000, though the final sentence would be determined by a judge.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
