American authorities have taken Cashmir Chinedu Luke, a Nigerian-born chief executive of a California-based home healthcare company, into custody over what prosecutors describe as a long-running scheme that siphoned millions of dollars from US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement released by the US attorney’s office, officials said Luke was detained at the San Francisco International Airport while preparing to fly to Nigeria.
Prosecutors allege that he secured more than $7 million in VA reimbursements by billing for services that were either exaggerated, duplicated, or never delivered including care allegedly logged for veterans who had already died.
The statement reads, “According to court documents, between December 2019 and July 2024, Cashmir Chinedu Luke, believed to be 66, of Antioch, operated Four Corners Health LLC.”
“That entity provided unskilled in-home nursing and day-to-day care for elderly VA beneficiaries under the Veterans Community Care Program. Four Corners provided services in Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, San Francisco, and Contra Costa Counties.”
Investigators said the operation submitted thousands of false claims, leading the VA, through its contracted benefits administrator, to release millions of dollars for care that never took place.
The statement added, “Luke caused Four Corners to submit approximately 10,000 individual false claims of care provided that caused the VA, through its third-party benefits administrator, to reimburse Four Corners $7 million for duplicate claims for care actually provided, claims for days caretakers were not present with veterans, claims for hours of care beyond those actually worked by caretakers, and claims of care for veterans who were actually dead.”
Prosecutors allege Luke kept the scheme alive by misleading officials who attempted to recover improper payments.
“Luke served as the sole owner and billing representative for Four Corners and actively deceived the VA’s third-party benefits administrator as it attempted to recover some of the fraudulently paid reimbursements.”
“This allowed the Four Corners billing scheme to continue. Luke personally profited from the scheme as the sole owner of the bank account that received the reimbursement payments.”
“Luke spent reimbursement payments immediately after being paid by the VA, either by spending lavishly on personal expenses or by promptly transferring the funds across a network of bank accounts throughout Asia and Africa.”
If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison along with a fine of $250,000.
