‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’: FBI nabs $1.2 BILLION Medicare fraud fugitive in the Philippines

Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was arrested in the Philippines after he was able to evade authorities for nearly two years and had escaped the US. Authorities have said that Kimble operated a healthcare fraud scheme connected to over $1.2 billion in Medicare charges that were connected to thousands of beneficiaries.

The operation used call centers to get patients to agree to medically unnecessary orthopedic braces. Kimble previously pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and other charges in 2019. After he failed to appear for a sentencing hearing in 2024, that started a manhunt for him around the world.

The capture of Kimble comes after the DOJ revealed its "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list, as the Trump administration has been cracking down on fraud-related crimes across the nation.

In addition to Kimble, last week, Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, was the first person to be arrested on the list and was wanted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as well as money laundering.

"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 said on X.

https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2068051952525520968?s=20

“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 added.

https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2068059922294542472?s=20

Vice President JD Vance said in response to the capture of Kimble, “Our message is simple. 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. The FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task force’s partnership with the FBI to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.”