One of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, Herbert Leon Kimble, who is accused of a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud, was captured in the Philippines on June 11.
The arrest was announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a June 19 post on X. The 60-year-old, born in Chicago, engaged in a large-scale nationwide health care conspiracy fraud by improperly marketing and distributing durable medical equipment, specifically orthopedic braces, according to the FBI.
Between 2014 and 2019, Kimble ran an operation that “focused primarily on initiating contact with Medicare beneficiaries and persuading them to request orthopedic braces for pain relief,” the agency said. These braces were “frequently unnecessary and prescribed through telemedicine consultations that often lacked legitimate medical evaluation.”
The collected prescriptions were then sold off to durable medical equipment companies. Suppliers affiliated with Kimble would ship braces to Medicare beneficiaries while the medical equipment companies billed Medicare for reimbursement. The fraudulent scheme led to more than $1.2 billion in Medicare charges.
In 2019, Kimble pled guilty to several criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and committing health care fraud. Kimble failed to appear for his sentencing hearing in August 2024, following which a federal arrest warrant was issued. He was last known to be residing in Manila, the Philippines. The FBI had offered up to $150,000 as a reward for any information leading to Kimble’s arrest and conviction.
In a June 20 statement, the Philippines Bureau of Immigration said they had arrested Kimble in Pasig City on June 11. He was deported on June 18 and has since been blacklisted in the Philippines.
“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,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
“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.”
The Most Wanted Fraudsters list was announced by FBI Director Kash Patel at a news conference earlier this month. The list was proposed by Vice President JD Vance to crack down on federal entitlement fraud, Patel said.
Commenting on Kimble’s arrest, Patel said in a June 20 X post, “If you defraud the American people … I told you we WILL find you. Grateful to [Vance, Blanche, DOJ] and all our partners. We are just getting started!”
Crackdown on Fraud
In a June 19 X post, Vance said the FBI captured Kimble after the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud partnered with the agency to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
“Our message is simple. If you defraud the American people, we will find you and we will bring you to justice,” Vance said.
“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 is the chairman of the task force, which was established via an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 16.
In the order, Trump said that criminals, illegal immigrants, foreign gangs, bureaucrats, nongovernmental organizations, and state and local officials were exploiting various benefits programs that are aimed at providing a safety net for U.S. citizens.
“The Task Force shall, on behalf of the President, coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs,” the order said.
Another individual on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list, Said Abdullahi Ereg, surrendered to law enforcement on June 10, according to the FBI and federal prosecutors.
Ereg is accused of laundering millions of dollars from a program that was aimed at feeding needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
After the capture of the two wanted individuals since the list was introduced this month, there are six members left on the list. They are accused of various crimes, such as fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, mail fraud, and scamming investors out of their funds.
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