The CEO of a Fresno-based home health care provider was intercepted by federal authorities at San Francisco International Airport, as he was about to board a flight to Nigeria. The executive, Cashmir Chinedu Luke, is accused of orchestrating a fraudulent billing scheme which allegedly siphoned over $7 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Eric Grant, laid out charges that Luke's company, Four Corners Health LLC, billed for home nursing care services to veterans that were never provided. In some particularly egregious instances, the care was supposedly given after the veterans had passed away.
According to an announcement from the Department of Justice, Luke's fraudulent activities spanned over five years, from December 2019 to July 2024. The criminal complaint against Luke suggests that he submitted approximately 10,000 false claims. These included duplicate claims, services for non-present caretakers, excessive billed hours, and care for deceased veterans, manipulating a network that was supposed to support those who served.
The deceit permeated through several Californian counties — Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, San Francisco, and Contra Costa — striking at the heart of veterans' care. An investigation by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General uncovered the fraudulent pattern, resulting in Luke's arrest and charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office pointed out that as the sole owner and billing authority of Four Corners, Luke not only sustained the scheme but continued to profit from the VA payments. These funds were quickly diverted to personal expenses and across a vast network of international bank accounts.
Should the court find Luke guilty, the penalties may be severe, encompassing up to a decade behind bars and a quarter-million-dollar fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin Lee, who is prosecuting the case, emphasized that any sentence would be subject to judicial discretion, considering both statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines. However, as with all defendants in the U.S. legal system, Luke maintains the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
