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 “Most Wanted Fraudsters” 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 “Most Wanted Fraudsters” 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.
“In just over two weeks, this is the second Most Wanted Fraudster arrested on the FBI’s list led by Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.
“Herbert 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 — particularly elderly victims — from 2014-2019,” Patel continued.
Patel emphasized the FBI’s dedication to implementing President Donald Trump’s mandate to combat fraud and safeguard taxpayer money.
The arrest occurred months after the Justice Department introduced a National Fraud Enforcement Division to aid Trump’s 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.
“Our message is simple,” Vance wrote. “If you defraud the American people, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”
“Kimble preyed on the elderly for years, costing taxpayers over a billion dollars,” he continued. “The FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task force’s partnership with the FBI to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.”
Vance noted that efforts to capture Kimble had been unsuccessful for months until the Philippine government assisted following the Justice Department’s list publication.
“Catching fraudsters is a priority of this Administration, and thanks to our task force’s hard work, one of the country’s most wanted fraudsters will now have to answer for his crimes,” Vance added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also responded to the arrest, asserting that “fleeing the United States does not mean you can flee justice.”
“Instead of facing accountability for his $1.2 billion Medicare fraud crimes in the United States, Kimble fled to the Philippines hoping to escape justice,” Blanche wrote on X. “That plan failed. Under President Trump’s leadership, this FBI has now apprehended two fraudsters from its recently unveiled Most Wanted Fraudster list in just two weeks, with more to come.”
