A fugitive linked to a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud scheme has been apprehended abroad and brought back to the U.S., marking the second arrest from the FBI’s new âMost Wanted Fraudstersâ list.
Federal authorities reported that Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was detained in the Philippines after allegedly avoiding capture for almost two years.
Prosecutors allege Kimble orchestrated a healthcare fraud operation, filing over $1.2 billion in Medicare claims and impacting thousands of beneficiaries, primarily targeting the elderly.
Investigators claim the scheme involved call centers directing patients to purchase unnecessary orthopedic braces.
In 2019, Kimble admitted guilt to several federal charges, including conspiracy against the U.S., healthcare fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, falsifying claims, and providing kickbacks and bribes.
Kimble reportedly skipped his sentencing hearing in August 2024, leading to a federal warrant and an international search.
His capture followed the recent introduction of the Justice Department’s âMost Wanted Fraudstersâ list, designed to publicly identify those charged in significant fraud cases.
Recently, federal officials also captured Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, who faced charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Ereg was the first individual from the list to be detained.
âIn just over two weeks, this is the second Most Wanted Fraudster arrested on the FBIâs list led by Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,â FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.
âHerbert Leon Kimbel was apprehended in the Philippines and is now back in the United States, on the run since 2024 after he allegedly orchestrated a $1.2 billion healthcare fraud conspiracy that targeted the Medicare system â particularly elderly victims â from 2014-2019,â Patel continued.
Patel emphasized the FBI’s dedication to implementing President Donald Trumpâs mandate to combat fraud and safeguard taxpayer money.
The arrest occurred months after the Justice Department introduced a National Fraud Enforcement Division to aid Trumpâs Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President JD Vance.
Vance commented on the arrest on X, attributing the Most Wanted Fraudsters list’s creation to helping authorities locate Kimble.
âOur message is simple,â Vance wrote. âIf you defraud the American people, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.â
âKimble preyed on the elderly for years, costing taxpayers over a billion dollars,â he continued. âThe FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task forceâs partnership with the FBI to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.â
Vance noted that efforts to capture Kimble had been unsuccessful for months until the Philippine government assisted following the Justice Department’s list publication.
âCatching fraudsters is a priority of this Administration, and thanks to our task forceâs hard work, one of the countryâs most wanted fraudsters will now have to answer for his crimes,â Vance added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also responded to the arrest, asserting that âfleeing the United States does not mean you can flee justice.â
âInstead of facing accountability for his $1.2 billion Medicare fraud crimes in the United States, Kimble fled to the Philippines hoping to escape justice,â Blanche wrote on X. âThat plan failed. Under President Trumpâs leadership, this FBI has now apprehended two fraudsters from its recently unveiled Most Wanted Fraudster list in just two weeks, with more to come.â
