By David Akinmola
A Nigerian-born executive of a U.S. home-care firm was arrested at San Francisco International Airport while trying to fly to Nigeria, after being charged with stealing more than US$7 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through bogus claims, U.S. prosecutors said.
The suspect, Cashmir Chinedu Luke (66), owns Four Corners Health LLC, a Fresno-based home-health care provider contracted to deliver in-home care to veterans under the VA’s Veterans Community Care Program. Between December 2019 and July 2024, Luke allegedly submitted roughly 10,000 false claims for home-care services that were never rendered, including duplicate bills, claims for hours when caregivers were absent, and even charges for care after some veterans had died.
Prosecutors maintain that the fraudulent claims led to reimbursements exceeding $7 million, which Luke then spent or transferred across a network of bank accounts in Asia and Africa.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, following an investigation by the VA’s Office of Inspector General. If convicted, Luke faces up to 10 years in prison and a US$250,000 fine under federal law.
Background records show that Luke previously served a 27-month sentence on identity-fraud charges in 2009 — a fact prosecutors noted in court filings.
The arrest has drawn renewed attention to fraudulent practices in U.S. veterans’ care programmes and the vulnerabilities that exist in outsourced home-health services. Authorities say they will pursue the case
